


Five Times Sugawara Koushi Looked After His Omegas & One Time They Looked After Him

by Breezy_Blue



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Fluff, Forehead Kisses, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Kageyama Tobio, Omega Nishinoya Yuu, Omega Shimizu Kiyoko, Omega Sugawara Koushi, Omega Tsukishima Kei, Omega Yachi Hitoka, Pack Family, Protectiveness, Scent Marking, Scenting, Sickfic, Sleepy Cuddles, Sugawara Koushi-centric, Team Mom Sugawara Koushi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2020-07-20 04:54:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19986436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Breezy_Blue/pseuds/Breezy_Blue
Summary: As Head Omega of the Karasuno Volleyball Club, Sugawara Koushi made it his responsibility to look after his team, especially his fellow omegas. He was observant and his sharp eye often came in handy when dealing with his teammates.After all, his weapon was his dependability.





	1. Tsukishima Kei - Strawberries

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, it's Breezy here :D
> 
> I got way too impatient waiting for Season 4 of Haikyuu, so here I am with a fic (Why? No clue, it's purely self-indulgent)
> 
> Anyways, enjoy this fic! I hope that after this you'll need to double check for cavities!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking advantage of his own moment of clarity, Tsukishima whispered, “Is it true that the presence of another omega can take the edge off a heat?” 
> 
> Sugawara nodded, bending down to nose at Tsukishima's scent glands. “With proper meds and an omega's care.” Especially from one that the omega trusted went unsaid. “Heats are less painful and much clearer.” In the presence of another omega, heats were no longer sexually driven and could be reduced to cuddling sessions. A traditional heat lasted three days but it could be shortened to one day, provided the omega took measures to wear pads and scent patches afterwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! If you're a returning reader, you'll notice that I edited this chapter (heavily) but if you're a new reader, enjoy!

It was during afternoon practice when something about Tsukishima caught Sugawara's attention. Taking a short break from setting to the second years, Sugawara leaned back on the wall of the gym. Reaching for his bottle, he kept his eyes trained on the blonde omega.

There was a certain stiffness in Tsukishima's actions when he blocked Hinata's spike. The omega was being uncharacteristically silent, none of his trademark smirks and jabs surfacing, not even when Hinata smacked into the net. Looking closer, Sugawara observed that Tsukishima was slightly hunching in on himself, taking controlled breaths.

Setting his water bottle down, Sugawara looked around to see if anyone else had noticed. But no one else had, with everyone all too busy practicing in their small groups. Asahi and Yamaguchi were practicing their serves with Nishinoya receiving on the opposite side of the net. Daichi and Ennoshita were discussing strategies and formations off to the side. The rest of the second years were right where Sugawara left them, continuing their own two-on-two match. Sugawara wasn't all that surprised that Kageyama and Hinata didn't pick up on Tsukishima's strange behavior though – the both of them had a one-track mind when it came to volleyball.

Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Sugawara called out to Tsukishima, “Hey, Tsukishima, help me grab something from the club room.”

There was an affronted squawk from Hinata, followed by the complaint that there was no one to block for him. Kageyama yelled back at him, “Dumbass! Isn’t that what you want to avoid for now?” Hinata shouted back at him and the two dissolved into another argument.

Tsukishima turned to face Sugawara, an odd expression on his face. He would usually flat-out refuse, but today he conceded with relief in his eyes. “Any excuse to get away from these volleyball idiots,” he snarked weakly. The duo in question whipped around to face him and Tsukishima flinched.

Sugawara blinked in surprise, frowning slightly at how off Tsukishima was acting. Quickly pulling on his team jacket and shoes, Sugawara slid the gym doors open.

Tsukishima stepped out, shivering at the slight chill from the fall breeze and zipping up to his chin. Before stepping out himself, Sugawara leaned back and called out to the rest of the gym. “Tsukishima and I are going to grab something, don't mind us.” The games didn’t pause but there was a collective, ‘ossu’ from around the gym. Sugawara grinned back at the team, sliding the door shut behind them.

The two of them were silent as they trekked to the club room. There was only a slight chill but Tsukishima was shivering, shoving his hands into the pockets of his track jacket. There was an almost inaudible sigh of relief from him when Sugawara opened the door to the clubroom. Sugawara closed the door behind them with a click and Tsukishima quietly asked, “What do we need to get, Suga-san?”

Sugawara sighed, closing the door softly behind him. “You and I both know that's not why I pulled you out of practice.” He leaned against the wall and slid down, making himself comfortable on the floor. Patting the spot on the floor next to him, Sugawara continued, “Sit down, your pre-heat symptoms are bothering you, aren’t they?”

Flushing slightly, Tsukishima took a seat next to him. He kept his gaze on the floor. “I think my heat's coming a week early. The pre-heat started right before practice.” He fiddled with his fingers, twisting and untwisting his fingers.

“How long until it begins? Do I need to call your mom to pick you up?” Sugawara asked softly, lightly guiding Tsukishima’s shoulders so that he could lay on Sugawara’s lap. Despite the extra warmth, Tsukishima still shivered in Sugawara’s lap.

The blonde omega twisted around to look up at him, a strangely vulnerable expression on his face. “My mom's working a late shift tonight, she won't be home until nine. And…” His face twisted in pain. Cramps. “I-I think my heat's starting soon.”

Sugawara hummed thoughtfully, glancing at the clock in the club room. It was approaching three thirty in the afternoon, there was no way he was leaving Tsukishima on his own until nine. Now that Tsukishima was closer, Sugawara could make out a slight strawberry scent getting stronger by the moment.

Sugawara carded his fingers through Tsukishima's soft curls when he brought up his suggestion. “Why don't I call my mom to drive us to your house? I can look after you until your mom comes home.” Besides, Tsukishima never mentioned any other family member besides his brother, who was currently in college, so it was safe to say that there was no one else to take care of him at home. He curled one arm protectively around the blond’s shoulders.

Tsukishima met his gaze, the question clear in his eyes. Sugawara nodded firmly, leaving no room for argument. It was settled then.

Tsukishima grudgingly nodded, burying his face in the fabric of Sugawara's Karasuno jacket. The Head Omega's familiar minty scent was rather calming and Tsukishima could feel his pounding headache slightly subside. Relaxing into Sugawara's light touches, he closed his eyes, curling up to use Sugawara's lap as a pillow.

Sugawara smiled fondly down at him but didn't stop carding his fingers through Tsukishima's hair. The omega in his lap was like an oversized cat, Sugawara mused as he stretched to reach his bag in the position he was in. He was careful not to jostle Tsukishima too much as he pulled his phone from the side pocket of his bag. He opened the ‘Volleyball Crows’ group chat.

_Tsukishima and I are heading home early_

_His pre-heat symptoms began early_

_Don’t miss us too much~_

Sugawara then exited the group chat, opening up his call logs. He dialed his mother, who picked up after two rings.

 _“Koushi?”_ She asked, concerned. Her son never called during volleyball practice.

“Okaa-san, my teammate is going into heat.” There was rustling on the other side of the call, presumably his mother standing up. “Can you drive us to his home?”

“ _Where are you? In the clubroom?_ ” Sugawara heard the telltale jingle of the car keys. He nodded before realizing his mother couldn’t see him.

“Yeah, we’re in the clubroom.” Sugawara looked down at the omega in his lap before glancing out the window. “I’ll be staying with him – his mother won’t be home.”

His mother hummed. “ _Poor dear. You have everything you need then?_ ”

Sugawara’s mind raced. Did he? “Yeah, I do. Don’t worry about homework, I’ll get that done.”

“ _Okay, Koushi. As long as you take care of yourself too._ ” There was the sound of the car starting up. “ _I’m in the car now, I’ll be in front of the school gates in ten- no, five minutes._ ”

Sugawara grinned. He knew he could count on his mother. “Thank you, Okaa-san.”

“ _Anything for you, darling._ ” There was a click and the call ended.

From his place on Sugawara’s lap, Tsukishima tried stifling a whine, the cramps starting to worsen. Sugawara quickly slipped his phone back into his bag and took a deep breath to collect his thoughts. Right. He had Tsukishima to focus on. First step. Evaluating the severity of the cramps.

By now, Tsukishima's strawberry scent hung in the air of the club room – Sugawara would have to crack the windows open before leaving. Nudging Tsukishima slightly, he gently asked, “For your cramps, any slick yet?”

Tsukishima gripped Sugawara’s jacket, shaking his head no. Sugawara hummed, “Well you know what you have to do. You use the pads. Have any in your bag?” A nod yes from the omega. “Then you should put one on.”

Sugawara pushed Tsukishima up to a sitting position. “I’ll grab it for you.” He ventured over to where Tsukishima’s bag was and unzipped it. “Which pocket?” He turned back to Tsukishima, who was hunched over, arms curled protectively over his middle.

“Inner pocket by the headphones,” Tsukishima whispered, voice strained. He took measured breaths, careful not to make any sudden movements as he shifted forward to get on his knees.

Sugawara’s eyes easily located the headphones. He rummaged around, fingers brushing against the zipper of the inner pocket. There it was. He grabbed a pad, rose to his feet, and knelt besides Tsukishima. “Here, take this.” He passed the pad over to Tsukishima who accepted it, the plastic crinkling with the transfer.

Rising to his feet, Sugawara pointedly faced the door, giving Tsukishima some privacy. He heard faint rustling and the distinct sound of the pad being unpeeled from its packaging. Giving Tsukishima a few more seconds, Sugawara murmured, “My mom’s driving us to your house. She’ll be here in-” He glanced at the clock. “Actually, she’ll be here in two minutes. You decent?”

Behind him, Tsukishima cleared his throat before answering. “Hai.”

Sugawara frowned, turning around. Tsukishima’s voice didn’t sound too well. He made his rounds around the clubroom, leaving the windows open to air out the room. At this point, the scent of strawberries was almost overpowering. Sugawara could barely smell his own surroundings. He only hoped the clubroom would clear out by the time practice ended. Sugawara took a closer look at the omega leaning against the lockers.

Tsukishima’s eyes were already blown, pupils dilated. It was hard to tell with how thick the air was with the scent of strawberries, but Sugawara’s nose could make out the scent of something sweeter. Tsukishima was starting to produce slick. His breathing was affected too. The blond was already beginning to pant, slowly sliding down the lockers in exhaustion. Sugawara rushed forward, supporting Tsukishima.

Sugawara eyed the other omega worriedly. “We should make our way to the front gates now. You need to get home.”

Tsukishima nodded wordlessly, shakily pushing himself to his own feet. Staggering slightly, Tsukishima bent down to grab his bag and started to reach for Sugawara's own.

Sugawara quickly stopped him, reaching out to grab his wrist. He clicked his tongue in disapproval, “Let me be the helpful senpai, alright?” He slung Tsukishima’s bag over his shoulder before taking his own. “Just make it down the stairs safely.” He opened the door with one hand, his other hand still around Tsukishima’s wrist.

The two of them made it to the top of the stairs safely with Sugawara guiding Tsukishima. They also made it to the foot of the stairs in one piece – though not without a few close calls.

Tsukishima nearly tumbled down after the first step when an especially severe cramp kicked in, causing him to hunch over. Sugawara winced in sympathy, letting Tsukishima lean more of his weight on him. Sugawara’s own cramps were excruciating when his own heats kicked in. He could only imagine how terrible Tsukishima was feeling at the moment.

Halfway down the stairs, Tsukishima was wracked with shivers, resulting in him nearly missing a step. Sugawara could feel his heart stop at that as he pulled Tsukishima back with his track jacket.

A few steps from the foot of the stairs, Tsukishima tripped over his own feet, his body finally giving out. Thankfully, Sugawara anticipated this and caught him, staggering under the full weight of the omega. Needless to say, it was evident that Tsukishima was starting to succumb to his heat. It twisted something in Sugawara to watch his kouhai suffer and his emotions were in tune with his scent. His usual scent of sweet mint became something sharper with his anxiety.

That didn't escape Tsukishima’s notice, despite the heat settling in his mind. Face twisting into a scowl, Tsukishima began internally cursing how troublesome being an omega was. He was inconveniencing his senpai, the Head Omega of the team no less, and heats were torturous. It made him wish he were a beta like Yamaguchi. He looked down at the floor, mortified at how Sugawara was practically supporting his weight.

Sugawara tilted his head to look at Tsukishima and knew exactly what was running through his head. Hiking up their bags further up, he gave a light flick to Tsukishima's forehead. “Hey, none of that now,” he warned, “We’re both omegas – it’s natural.” His arm was protectively wrapped around the blond’s waist. “I'm doing this because I want to.” _Not because I have to_ went unsaid.

As if it were planned, Sugawara's mother soon pulled up in front of them. “Sorry for the delay,” she apologized briefly.

Tsukishima started to bow in greeting and Sugawara frowned, “No, you don’t have to be polite now. You’re going to fall over.”

His mother nodded, stepping out of the car to open the door for them. “No collapsing on my watch.” Tsukishima could hear the concern and tough love behind the statement.

If Tsukishima weren’t in so much pain, he wouldn’t chuckled at how similar the two were. Clearly, Sugawara got his personality from his mother.

“Get in,” she whispered lowly, before looking up at Tsukishima, “Little one doesn't look too well.”

Tsukishima smiled wryly. Of course, Sugawara’s mother would call him ‘little one.’

Taking another glance at Tsukishima, Sugawara found that he agreed with his mom. By now, Tsukishima was swaying slightly on his feet, the scent of strawberries getting increasingly stronger.

The silver-haired setter gingerly eased the blond omega into the car. Once he was sure Tsukishima was settled in, he slid their bags off his shoulder and set them down on the floor. Climbing in, he closed the door and quickly gave his mother the blond’s home address (which he had memorized from the club forms).

But time was against them. Tsukishima started groaning in pain, Sugawara’s face crumpled. The cramping had gotten to the point where the omega couldn’t stifle his groans. Laying Tsukishima's head on his shoulder, Sugawara nosed at the blond’s scent glands. He made sure to let his scent envelop his kouhai in an effort to reduce his pain. It didn't work as well as he hoped, but Tsukishima’s groans soon became quiet whimpers.

Sugawara barely heard his mother announce that their destination, opening the car door as soon as he heard the click of the doors unlocking. He pulled their schoolbags out of the car, swinging them over the same shoulder. He would need his other shoulder to support Tsukishima. He waited for Tsukishima to exit the car before shutting the car door with his foot. He and his mother exchanged concerned glances at how unresponsive the blond became.

His mother turned away, revving up the car engine. “Take care of yourselves,” she called out as she rolled down the windows of the car. No doubt that it was to air out the car from Tsukishima’s scent. As she began pulling away, Sugawara turned to face Tsukishima’s house.

He let Tsukishima lean on him all the way to the front door, feeling his shallow breaths against his own neck. Digging through Tsukishima's bag, Sugawara felt around for the keys. It took a few seconds before his fingers finally brushed against them it in a side pocket. He pulled it out, cooing at the cute dinosaur keychain attached. There were two keys on the ring and Suga randomly chose one.

It was getting harder to support Tsukishima's weight along with the weights of their bags. Sugawara could feel his muscles starting to burn. Tsukishima may be a beanpole but he was still the tallest member of the Karasuno Volleyball Club. In a feat of superhuman strength, Sugawara managed to push the door open, dropping their bags on the floor and tossing the keys onto a nearby table, all the while supporting an omega at least a head taller than him.

Figuring that Tsukishima was probably too out of it by now, Sugawara followed the faint scent of strawberries to Tsukishima's bedroom. Leading the omega to his bed, Sugawara gently set Tsukishima down.

Sugawara wasted no time in gathering all the blankets and pillows he could carry, checking closets and drawers in Tsukishima’s room for any spares. Carrying them in his arms, Sugawara set them down next to Tsukishima. The blond nodded his thanks with a tired smile.

Sugawara stepped back, it would be best to let an omega nest before the worst part of their heat hits. He turned towards the bedroom door, hoping to find the kitchen when he felt a hand tug on the sleeve of his jacket. “Stay,” Tsukishima pleaded quietly, shyly looking to the side.

Sugawara resisted the urge to coo again. “I’m not leaving,” Sugawara smiled reassuringly, slipping off his jacket, “Take this, I won’t be long.” He reached the doorway before turning around.

Tsukishima was hugging Sugawara’s track jacket, sleeve pressed to his nose. A slight blush covered his face when he noticed Sugawara watching him. A few seconds passed and Tsukishima began arranging the jacket with the various blankets and pillows. Sugawara gazed fondly on the scene before finally turning to find the kitchen.

Along the way, Sugawara picked up the schoolbags he’d abandoned on the way to Tsukishima’s room. He carried them over to the doorway of Tsukishima’s bedroom, setting them down just outside. He’d moved them from the front entrance so that whenever Tsukishima’s mother came home, she wouldn’t trip over them.

Turning back, Sugawara entered the kitchen. If he wasn’t pressed for time, he would’ve admired how well-lived in the kitchen seemed. He found the glasses easily enough in a cabinet above the sink. He filled a glass with water from a pitcher and brought it back to Tsukishima's bedroom, setting it down on the nightstand. Tsukishima was still busy kneading pillows and pushing blankets into a certain shape known only by him. Sugawara noted how his own track jacket seemed to be in the center of Tsukishima’s nest and hid his smile.

Sugawara then left to find the medicine cabinet. He turned towards what he hoped was the bathroom. He opened the door and was hit with the faintest scent of blueberries. He took a quick look at the bedroom, glancing at the dinosaur figures on the shelves. How cute – now Sugawara knew where Tsukishima got his dinosaur obsession from. Closing the bedroom door with a click, he tried the next door down the hall.

Sugawara sighed in relief when he saw it was the bathroom. He would’ve been mortified if it were the master bedroom. He headed towards the mirror above the sink, curling his fingers around the corners. The mirror swung outwards to reveal shelves of medication.

To Sugawara’s delight, it was well-stocked. Quickly grabbing the painkillers and suppressants specifically made for heats, Sugawara surveyed the cabinet for anything else necessary. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the scent patches Sugawara himself often used. He frowned in thought as he shook out the appropriate number of pills into his hand. Did he have extra scent patches with him?

Placing the pill bottles back into their shelves, he gently closed the mirror cabinet. He retraced his steps to his schoolbag by Tsukishima’s bedroom door. Kneeling, he rummaged through until he found his emergency stash of patches. Sugawara let out a small sigh of relief, thank goodness he’d brought extras for emergencies.

Sugawara entered the bedroom with meds in hand and found Tsukishima in his nest with his face scrunched up in pain. Sitting cross legged next to Tsukishima's completed nest, Sugawara wordlessly handed him two painkillers and a suppressant pill, following up with the glass of water.

Tsukishima blinked gratefully, shaky hands reaching for the glass of water. Change of plans. Sugawara dropped the scent patch he was holding to lightly push Tsukishima’s hands aside. There was no way Sugawara was going to let his kouhai drink on his own. He leaned over, careful not to brush against Tsukishima’s nest. His right hand went to support Tsukishima’s head and neck as Tsukishima leaned back. His left hand held the glass, slowly tipping the glass to allow Tsukishima to drink steadily.

Once Tsukishima took all three pills, Sugawara leaned back on his haunches. He placed the glass of water on the nightstand and his eyes flickered towards the abandoned scent patch in front of him. He picked it up again. The scent patch would have to come later, after the suppressants kicked in.

Sugawara stepped out of the bedroom to grab their respective schoolbags. He brought them in, setting them down at the foot of Tsukishima’s bed. He unzipped his own bag and pulled his belongings out before sitting at the foot of Tsukishima’s bed to prepare for a vigil of his own. He had homework to do, considering he was staying the night. But most importantly, he had a fellow omega in heat to care for. Sugawara glanced over at Tsukishima.

Besides him, Tsukishima let out a content sigh, curling up into his nest. Opening one eye to look at Sugawara, he murmured. “You can join me, Suga-san.”

Raising an eyebrow, Sugawara set his pencil down. He took a moment to observe Tsukishima’s face to make sure it wasn’t his heat speaking. But Tsukishima’s eyes were clear and there was no hesitation in his gaze.

Sugawara nodded before gathering his things. He crawled in join Tsukishima in his nest and made sure to push his own belongings to the side of the nest.

Letting another into your nest during your heat was an ultimate sign of trust between omegas. It was more common for only mates to join an omega’s nest. The scent of strawberries was almost overpowering now that Sugawara was within Tsukishima’s nest. Nests weren’t only just to provide comfort to an omega in heat. It also kept their scent from escaping the boundaries of the nest. God forbid, an alpha would notice the scent of an omega in heat from outside and go into rut.

From where he was sitting within Tsukishima’s nest, Sugawara could smell his slick and knew Tsukishima's heat was approaching.

Taking advantage of his own moment of clarity, Tsukishima whispered, “Is it true that the presence of another omega can take the edge off a heat?”

Sugawara nodded, bending down to nose at Tsukishima's scent glands. “With proper meds and an omega's care.” _Especially from one that the omega trusted_ went unsaid. “Heats are less painful and much clearer.” In the presence of another omega, heats were no longer sexually driven and could be reduced to cuddling sessions. A traditional heat lasted three days but it could be shortened to one day, provided the omega took measures to wear pads and scent patches afterwards.

Tsukishima hummed in contentment from the scenting. Sugawara’s scent within his nest was like a breath of fresh air amidst how stifling his own scent was when he was in heat. Tsukishima felt his own mind begin to shut down as his heat took over his body. Surprisingly, he could feel himself getting sleepy – he never fell asleep during his heats. Maybe it really was the presence of another omega, Tsukishima mused. He was slowly lulled to sleep by the smell of their mixed scents before finally slipping into a dream of strawberries, sweet mint, and team jackets.

Smiling warmly at the omega snuggling into his team jacket, Sugawara gently slid the black-rimmed glasses off Tsukishima's face. Setting it down on the nightstand, he observed how vulnerable the blond besides him was. Good thing Tsukishima fell asleep. He could sleep off the worst of his heat.

Noticing the way the screen of his phone lit up from the side of the nest, Sugawara quickly reached over to pick it up. He saw several notifications from the ‘Volleyball Crows’ group chat and clicked on them.

There were various texts from the team members, all with similar messages – ‘No worries,’‘Feel better soon, Tsukishima,’ and ‘See you tomorrow!’ Sugawara thought the cute gif of the animated crow from Nishinoya was a nice touch. Responding with a little kaomoji, Sugawara gave a brief update on how Tsukishima was doing. Soon there was a flurry of replies and chimes, of which Sugawara scrambled to turn down.

Tsukishima, from his place next to Sugawara, scrunched up his face in irritation and curled further into himself. Sugawara set his phone down to give him his full attention. The painkillers were supposed to be kicking in right about now but the cramps must’ve been throbbing enough to warrant a reaction in Tsukishima’s sleep.

Sugawara purred, his fingers gently smoothing the creases in Tsukishima’s facial expression. Surprisingly enough, Tsukishima leaned into Sugawara’s ministrations and his facial expressions relaxed. The suppressants were doing their job – Tsukishima was no longer shivering in his sleep and his scent was starting to stabilize.

Deciding that now was a good time as any to apply the scent patch, Sugawara peeled off the protective wrapping to reveal a circular adhesive patch. Removing the packaging itself released a scent of mint, not unlike that of Sugawara’s own. Carefully applying the patch over Tsukishima's main scent gland, the effect was almost immediate. Tsukishima wrinkled his nose in his sleep at the first contact with the patch but soon relaxed with a sigh. Tsukishima's natural scent harmonized with that of the patch, balancing itself to become that of a sweet strawberry mint.

Sugawara held back a small coo, why was his kouhai so adorable – it was to the point where it was almost unfair. Pressing a kiss to Tsukishima's forehead, Sugawara continued to card his fingers through his hair. He glanced over at the pile of homework he brought with him into Tsukishima’s nest. Perhaps that could wait.

Sugawara stifled a yawn of his own; he could feel his eyes getting heavy. Sugawara lowered himself to lay besides the sleeping blond. He carefully wrapped his arms around the omega’s waist, burying his nose into Tsukishima’s back and slowly drifted off.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Tsukishima slowly woke up, his mind the clearest it had been all day. The worst of heat must’ve passed when he was asleep. The world was blurry as he blinked, reaching for his glasses on the nightstand. But a pair of arms wrapped around his waist stopped him. Tsukishima paused before sliding his glasses on without jostling the person sleeping behind him. He glanced down at the Karasuno jacket in his arms. He knew it wasn’t his own because he was already wearing his.

He lifted the sleeve of the jacket to his nose and memories the past day filtered through his mind. Oh. Right. His pre-heat hit earlier today and Sugawara had noticed, pulling him out during practice. He did have hazy memories of how he got home though. Vague memories of being supported, a hazy drive home, and present throughout those memories was the comforting scent of mint. He blushed, glancing down at the arms wrapped around his waist. Tsukishima was the small spoon – since when had they started cuddling? He brought a hand to his neck, tracing the foreign scent patch. It smelled of the Head Omega.

Tsukishima twisted his neck around to look at the said omega. He could make out the setter’s beauty mark on his cheek and the way Sugawara’s silver strands fell into his eyes. He noted the slow rise and fall of the setter’s chest as he slept on, oblivious to Tsukishima’s staring.

Tsukishima felt his heart swell. Sugawara must’ve been exhausted from looking after him. He glanced at the windows of his bedroom. There was still some late afternoon light filtering through, so it couldn’t have been too late. He’d let his Head Omega sleep in a bit longer.

But first things first. Tsukishima grimaced at the feeling in his underwear. He would need to replace the pad in his shorts. He carefully extricated himself from Sugawara’s arms and clambered out of his own nest. He froze when he heard Sugawara snuffle quietly.

Sugawara whined quietly in his sleep at the loss of warmth. Tsukishima paused before taking off his own team jacket. He lay it over the omega in his nest, watching as Sugawara’s fingers came to curl over the fabric of his jacket. When Sugawara finally settled back down in his sleep, Tsukishima let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

He made his way to the bathroom on shaky legs and fished a new pad out of the cabinet. Making sure to lock the door behind him, he unpeeled the used pad from his shorts and replaced it with a fresh pad. Tsukishima wrapped the used pad to discard it, making a face at how much slick he’d produced. Slick was a rather annoying part of heats. Tossing it into the waste bin, he pulled his shorts back on and turned to wash his hands. Removing his glasses to splash water on his face, he glanced at the mirror. The scent patch on his neck was clear but he could make out its outline. He traced the scent patch on his neck with his fingers, shivering at the coolness. Tearing his gaze off his reflection, Tsukishima slid his glasses back on and unlocked the bathroom door.

Sugawara was still sleeping in the nest, with Tsukishima’s jacket practically covering his entire figure. Tsukishima climbed back into his nest, wrapping his arms around Sugawara’s waist and burying his nose into Sugawara’s hair. Even though he knew the omega was still asleep, he murmured his thanks into Sugawara’s hair. He’d gladly stay like this for a little longer.

Sugawara began to stir an hour later, opening his eyes to reveal warm chocolate orbs. There was slight confusion on his face as he shifted, looking down at Tsukishima’s arms wrapped around his waist. He pinched the fabric of Tsukishima’s Karasuno jacket, coming to the same conclusion Tsukishima himself did earlier. Then he noticed that Tsukishima was awake and watching him. Sugawara grinned sleepily up at him. “Hey, did your heat end already?”

Tsukishima nodded, taken aback at how bright Sugawara seemed. “I woke up just now. Changed my pad and I planned to let you sleep for longer.”

Sugawara pushed himself up into a sitting position and Tsukishima mirrored him. “Well that explains why I’m suddenly the small spoon,” he giggled, and Tsukishima looked away with a small blush.

The setter noticed Tsukishima’s blush and grinned, patting his shoulder. “No need to be embarrassed.” He picked up his phone and noted the time. “It’s seven pm, we should get dinner started.”

Tsukishima nodded, already slipping out of his nest. He made his way to the kitchen, Sugawara trailing close behind. Bending down and opening the fridge, Tsukishima noted that there wasn’t much. Grocery days were only on days his mother had off. He sighed before turning to Sugawara. “There isn’t much, but we can have miso soup and tamago kake gohan.” He starts taking the tofu, and miso out of the fridge. “I know they’re breakfast foods, but we don’t have much left.” He blinks apologetically at the setter.

Sugawara smiled, waving him off. “No worries, I know how to make the best tamago kake gohan.” He began rolling up his sleeves. “Now where does your family keep the rice?”

Tsukishima pointed a finger to a cabinet underneath the counter and Sugawara nodded, immediately opening the rice cooker to take out the inner bowl. Crouching by the container of rice, Sugawara asked. “Is two cups of rice enough? Or three?”

Tsukishima paused from where he was filling a pot of water. “Just two. Okaa-san and I don’t eat a lot.” He shut off the faucet, moving the pot to the stovetop. He turned the burner on and covered the pot.

Sugawara pouted, scooping two cups of rice. “Not enough if you ask me.” He closed the cabinet and picked up the bowl. “Excuse me,” he murmured, maneuvering past Tsukishima to reach the sink. Tsukishima moved to the side to let him pass.

He watched Sugawara fill the bowl to rinse the grains of rice. Sugawara hummed as he worked, lost in his own world. He poured out the water and refilled the bowl. As he rinsed the rice a second time, Sugawara inclined his head and debated whether he should rinse it a third time. Tsukishima felt like he was back in middle school, watching Akiteru prepare dinner on days their mother was out. He tore his gaze from the setter, ignoring the slight stinging behind his eyes.

Sugawara dipped a finger into the water level of the rice, deeming it clear enough. He looked around for a dishcloth and spotted it on the opposite counter. Grabbing the dishcloth, he wiped the surface of the inner bowl down. As a guest, he couldn’t afford to destroy the Tsukishima’s rice cooker. Placing the bowl into the rice cooker, Sugawara selected the ‘white rice’ button and pressed ‘start.’ Wiping his hands on his shirt, he glanced over at Tsukishima.

Tsukishima was busying himself with the miso soup, peering at the pot to see if the water was boiling. He hummed noncommittally, grabbing a wet dishcloth to remove the cover of the pot. The water was ready and it was time to add the miso. He dumped spoonfuls of miso in and Sugawara knew that the middle blocker must’ve had practice cooking for himself.

Sugawara eyed the unopened package of tofu on the counter. Guess he would start with that. He grabbed a knife off the rack and sliced the packaging over the sink. As he drained the tofu, Tsukishima sidled up to him to use the sink.

At the sink, Tsukishima filled a small bowl of water before pouring a small amount of wakame in to soak. Nodding to himself, he set it aside. Opening the cupboard above him, he grabbed the hondashi. He shook the jar, the tiny granules clinking against the glass. They would need to buy more next time. He shook the remainder of the granules into the lid of the jar and then poured them into the soup. He set the empty jar down and closed the cupboard.

Besides him, Sugawara offered him the sliced tofu. “No need for a cutting board,” he grinned as he passed him the container of sliced tofu. “I learned to slice them while I hold them in my palm.”

Tsukishima’s heart ached. Just like Akiteru. Akiteru used to show off how he was able to slice tofu without the use of a cutting board. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly missed his brother. His facial expressions must’ve betrayed him because Sugawara looked up at him in concern. Tsukishima quickly smoothed his facial expressions and reached for the tofu.

Sugawara pulled the tofu away. “Nuh uh, I saw that, mister.” He wagged a finger. “I should’ve made you sit down. Your heat technically isn’t over.” He lightly hip-checked Tsukishima. “You should take a shower, I’ll take care of everything else.” Stirring the pot, he glanced up at Tsukishima with concern. “Tell me if your cramps get worse.”

Huh. Now that it was brought to his attention, Tsukishima could feel his abdomen throbbing. “Not yet, but they’re still there.” Rubbing a hand across his middle, he conceded. “Also, only if you shower when I’m done. You’re still a guest.” He padded back to his bedroom, socked feet not making a sound on the wooden floors.

Sliding his drawer open, Tsukishima pulled out some clothes he thought would fit Sugawara. A worn, dark purple long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black pants. They were clothes from middle school that he outgrew this year so hopefully they’d fit. Nevertheless, he imagined Sugawara drowning in his clothes and he stifled a snort. No doubt the setter would complain about his kouhai being ‘too tall.’ Like a certain brother he knew.

Tsukishima paused. Why was he suddenly thinking of Akiteru? Curse his heats for messing with his hormones. No. It wasn’t just that. His mind went to the omega currently manning the kitchen. The Head Omega’s personality was similar to Akiteru’s. Tsukishima grabbed his own sleepwear, padding to the bathroom.

He stopped by the door of Akiteru’s bedroom. Akiteru hadn’t been home since the beginning of the school year. In the space of two months, his scent hasn’t faded from memory. He opened Akiteru’s door, poking his head through the doorway. If he took a deep breath, he could smell the faint blueberry scent from his childhood. Backing away, he closed the door behind him with a click and made his way into the bathroom. Perhaps Tsukishima would text his brother this weekend.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Slowly adding the tofu in, Sugawara hummed in satisfaction. A glance at the clock told him it was nearing eight in the evening. As if on cue, the rice cooker began beeping. Ah. The rice was ready. He reached for the wakame. It had been soaking for long enough. He drained the bowl before adding it to the pot. Perfect. He covered the pot with the lid and turned the stove off.

Tsukishima stepped out into the kitchen, drying his hair with a towel. “Shower’s open, Suga-san.” He turned back around, expecting Sugawara to follow. “I picked some clothes for you.”

Sugawara quickly washed his hands and padded behind Tsukishima. In Tsukishima’s room, there were clothes neatly folded on the bed and he assumed it was for him. Gathering the clothes in his arms, he noted how soft they were. He smiled at how considered the middle blocker was. “Thank you.”

Tsukishima waved it off. “It’s nothing.” He led the setter into the bathroom, still dewy from the last shower. Pulling a towel from a cabinet underneath the sink, he pushed it into Sugawara’s arms. “Use this and just hang it on the rack when you’re done.” He stepped out of the bathroom and Sugawara locked the door behind him.

Showering was a quick affair. Sugawara sighed at the feeling of water hitting his skin. He hadn’t done his homework yet but already he was exhausted. He reached for the shampoo and squinted at the label. Strawberry? Really? He giggled to himself. He really should’ve expected this from Tsukishima. He shrugged, lathering it into his hair. The next bottle was also strawberry scented body wash. Sugawara didn’t even blink as he squirted it into his hands. Once he was done, he rinsed himself and then patted himself dry with the towel Tsukishima gave him.

Stepping out of the shower, he glanced at the pile of clothes given to him. He pulled on the long-sleeved shirt. It was soft and well-worn. Sugawara found himself nuzzling into the shirt. He looked at the ‘sweater paws’ created by the shirt. Cute. He pulled on the pair of pants and was less than amused by how the fabric pooled at his ankles. He rolled up the cuffs of the pants.

Hanging the towel on the rack, Sugawara stepped out of the bathroom. He mussed his hair with his fingers. It was dry enough. He padded down the hallway and watched Tsukishima ladle the miso soup into three bowls. Tsukishima looked up, took in Sugawara’s sweater paws, rolled up pants, and promptly snorted, turning away.

“Yah!” Sugawara protested. “You’re too tall, that’s all!”

Tsukishima hid a smirk behind his hand as he moved to open the rice cooker. “Suga-san, they’re clothes I outgrew.” His smirk grew wider. “From _middle school_.”

Sugawara pouted, storming over to the counter. “Rude.” He opened the fridge, keeping the door open with his knee, and selected three eggs.

Tsukishima closed the rice cooker and pulled the mirin and soy sauce out. He poured even portions of each into the three bowls of rice. Sugawara handed Tsukishima the three eggs, of which he cracked into each bowl with a practiced hand. Sugawara marveled at how Tsukishima left no eggshell pieces in. Together, they mixed the raw eggs into the rice with their chopsticks. Tsukishima put his own bowl down to mix the third bowl before covering it with plastic wrap. Besides him, Sugawara mirrored his actions with the third bowl of miso soup.

“For your mother?”

A nod. “Okaa-san will be home in an hour.”

Once the third portion of their dinner was placed in the fridge, the two of them looked down at their dinner and clasped their hands together. “Itadakimasu!”

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Placing his bowl into the sink, Sugawara sighed. “That was a good meal.” Tsukishima nodded besides him, turning the water on. Side by side, they washed the dishes together – Tsukishima lathering and washing the dishes before passing them to Sugawara, who dried them.

Tsukishima flinched, another cramp kicking in. Sugawara checked the clock. “It looks like you should take your painkillers.” Tsukishima nodded, face twisting in pain. He shut the water off, passing the last bowl to Sugawara.

Making his way to his bedroom, he grabbed the glass of water on his nightstand. He opened the medicine cabinet and shook out the painkillers into his hands. Popping them into his mouth, he downed the glass of water. Returning to the kitchen, he noted that Sugawara must’ve finished drying the dishes. He grabbed another glass of water and filled both glasses, carrying both into his room.

Sugawara was already sitting within the nest, notebooks surrounding him. Tsukishima nodded to himself. No wonder – his senpai was in a college prep class, much like him. The workload must be extremely heavy as a third year, especially with midterms around the corner.

Tsukishima set the glasses of water on his nightstand. He pulled his schoolbag closer to his bed before climbing in into his nest. The setter left plenty of room for Tsukishima. Taking his own books out of his bag, Tsukishima placed them in a pile beside him as he pulled a pencil from his pencil case. They worked on homework in companionable silence and Tsukishima rather enjoyed working with someone with similar work ethic. He sometimes had nightmares about trying to tutor the volleyball idiots. He shivered and Sugawara’s eyes flickered up to him, his pencil still moving across the pages of his notebooks. “You okay?” The setter murmured.

Tsukishima tried looking as irked as possible. “Just some bad memories.”

Sugawara raised an eyebrow, glancing on Tsukishima’s work. “From graphing floor functions?”

The general silence of the house was broken by the sound of a key turning in the lock. The two of them perked up, turning towards the bedroom door.

“Tadaima. Wh- Kei? Why’s there an extra pair of shoes in the doorway?” A female voice called out.

Sugawara’s pencil slipped across the page and he cursed softly, grabbing an eraser to fix his mistake. Tsukishima extricated himself from the nest, wobbling slightly on his feet. “Okaa-san, I have a friend over to stay the night.”

Tsukishima’s mother appeared at the doorway and she subtly scented the air. A look of understanding passed on her face. Then she saw Sugawara sitting inside her son’s nest.

Sugawara bowed from his seat on the bed, mortified at the first impression he made.

“Okaa-san, he’s the Head Omega of Karasuno’s volleyball club.” Tsukishima said, walking up to her.

From behind, Sugawara got out of the nest and did a ninety-degree bow. “I’m Sugawara Koushi and I’ll be staying the night to help with Tsukishima’s heat.” He tried not to think how Tsukishima’s mother was about his own height. It was enough that his kouhai were almost all taller than him – he didn’t need another blow to his self-esteem.

“Oh no, dearie. No need to bow.” Tsukishima’s mother waved her hand. “It’s just that Kei never brings anyone other than Tadashi. I’m glad he has other friends, especially a fellow omega.” She followed up with a small bow before patting her son’s shoulder. “Both Akiteru and I are betas, so I’m afraid we haven’t been caring for him in the ways we should’ve.”

“Okaa-san,” Tsukishima stopped her, an embarrassed tone in his voice. “There’s dinner in the fridge and the shower’s all yours.”

Once she stepped out, Tsukishima closed the door behind him with a click and let out a sigh.

“Your mother’s sweet.” Sugawara stated, climbing back into the nest. There was a slight pause but he didn’t ask about Akiteru, which Tsukishima was thankful for. “Now, let’s get back to work. What else do you have left to do?”

Tsukishima followed suit, making himself comfortable in the nest. “I have to do my Japanese and English after math.”

Sugawara nodded, “I only have math after I finish my English.” He opened his notebook again. “Feel free to ask if you need help.” And then he fell silent, his full concentration dedicated to the English exercises.

It felt as if hours had passed before either of them made a peep. Tsukishima could no longer hear his mother in the house, he assumed she went to bed already.

Sugawara stretched out in front of him. “Ah, finally done with work.” He checked his phone for the time, humming noncommittally. “It’s around eleven. When do you think you’ll finish?”

Tsukishima handed Sugawara one of the glasses of water on the nightstand. “I think…” He glanced down at his Japanese packet. “Thirty more minutes.” He took the empty glass from Sugawara, setting it back down. “There’s an extra toothbrush in the bathroom cabinet, under the sink.”

Sugawara clambered out of the nest. “Hai, hai.” He grabbed his empty glass from the nightstand as well as Tsukishima’s.

Tsukishima called out. “You don’t need me to set up the futon, right?”

Sugawara paused before turning around. “Well do you want me on the futon tonight?” The blond grudgingly shook his head no. “Then it’s settled.” The setter sent Tsukishima a radiant smile before turning to leave the bedroom.

It didn’t take long for the setter to return from brushing his teeth and washing his face. He also refilled their glasses of water from the pitcher in the kitchen. Tsukishima blinked gratefully at him and refocused on annotating the article’s paragraphs.

Sugawara cleaned up his workspace in the nest, packing everything up neatly into his schoolbag. He pulled an unopened scent patch out, holding it out to Tsukishima to catch his attention. “Place this on your neck before you sleep, okay?” He gestured to Tsukishima’s bare neck. “I forgot to give you an extra after you showered.”

Tsukishima took the scent patch and set it down on the nightstand. As he did so, he noticed Sugawara locate an unused outlet by the nightstand and take a charger out. He tapped on the screen of his phone a few times before setting it down and plugging it in.

“Just charging it for tomorrow and setting an alarm.” Sugawara explained, waving his hand to divert Tsukishima’s attention. “Well I’m tired. Too much excitement in one day.” He leaned over to press a kiss to Tsukishima’s forehead and Tsukishima leaned into his touch.

Sighing, Sugawara lay down in the nest, careful not to roll over onto Tsukishima’s work. He yawned, exhaustion evident in his voice. “Well I’ll be sleeping now. Don’t mind me.”

Tsukishima hummed in response and instead of going back to his work, he turned on his bedside lamp. Exiting the nest, he turned off his bedroom lights before climbing back into his nest. The faint light of the lamp lit Sugawara’s facial features with a warm glow and he watched as the omega relaxed, breaths evening out as minutes passed. Tsukishima shook himself out of his daze – there was no need to be a creep. He had work to do.

Eventually, Tsukishima wrapped up the remainder of his work within the half hour. Carefully placing his papers into their respective subject folders, he made sure he moved as quietly as possible, unwilling to wake the setter. Reaching towards the fallen charger for his phone, he plugged it in before setting his own phone besides Sugawara’s own. He clambered out of the nest and neatly packed his schoolbag before slipping out of his bedroom to brush his teeth.

It didn’t take long to brush his teeth. It was nearing midnight and Tsukishima tried staying as quiet as possible out of consideration for his sleeping mother and Head Omega. Slipping back into his bedroom, he closed the door behind him with a small click. Sugawara was in the exact same position Tsukishima last saw him. Approaching his bedside table, Tsukishima unpeeled the scent patch from its packaging and gingerly applied it to his main scent gland. Draining his glass of water, he slid the glasses off his face. The world became blurrier and Tsukishima slowly blinked, relying on his nose to sense his surroundings. He took a deep breath, taking in their scents. He’d never realized how comforting it was to have a fellow omega by his side until now.

Tsukishima put his glasses on the bedside table and reached to turn off the lamp. The light went out and the only source of light now was the moonlight through the window. Huh, it was a full moon tonight. Tsukishima slowly lay down and wrapped his arms around around Sugawara’s waist, careful not to jostle him. He buried his nose into Sugawara’s silver strands and happily noted that the setter smelled like strawberries. In the morning, he would worry about his image. But for now, Tsukishima let himself drift off to the refreshing scent of mint and strawberries.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Tsukishima woke up to Sugawara’s fingers stroking through his hair. Blinking in confusion, he noticed it was early morning, the weak morning light filtering through the window.

“Good morning!” Sugawara leaned back, tapping at Tsukishima’s arms still wrapped around his waist. “So I’m the little spoon again. Plan on releasing me yet?”

It took a moment for his senpai’s question to register but Tsukishima reluctantly pulled away. “Sorry about that,” he scratched the back of his head with a slight blush.

“No, it’s rather nice. You’re great at cuddling.” Sugawara pushed himself up into a sitting position. “But we have school today and…” He arched a meaningful eyebrow at Tsukishima, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

“And we have morning practice too.” Tsukishima finished for him. Then he groaned, throwing his arm over his eyes. “But my heat’s not over yet.”

“But the worst of it is over,” Sugawara added before making a dramatic hand gesture, “Thanks to me!”

Tsukishima snorted, looking away. He turned his head in the direction of the nightstand and reached for his glasses, sliding them onto his face.

Sugawara calmed down. “But in all seriousness, make sure you pack enough pads for today.” He bent down to rummage through his bag. “I only have two more scent patches in my bag. That enough?”

A light tune started playing from Sugawara’s phone from the nightstand. The setter raised his head, conflicted between finding the scent patches for Tsukishima and reaching for his phone. In the end, Sugawara leaned forward to detach the phone from its charger to stop the song, presumably the alarm he’d set the night before.

Tsukishima’s eyebrows knit together thoughtfully. He liked the beginning of the song, it was light and electronic-based. The piano and synthesizer gave way to an electric guitar and a young guy’s voice began to sing.

_Hirochi uchuu no (In this vast universe)_

_Kazu aru hitotsu (Among the many stars)_

_Aoi chikyuu no hiroi sekai de (In a single vast blue planet)_

_Chiisana koi no omoi wa todoku (My small feelings of love would reach)_

_Chiisana shima no anata no moto e (To that tiny island where you are)_

The song cut off there and Tsukishima wished Sugawara was a bit slower in stopping the alarm. He looked up at the setter. “I like that song,” he stated truthfully. “I’ve heard the original but this version sounds so different.”

Sugawara grinned back at him. “It’s one of my favorite songs to wake up to. It’s a cover of the original by one of my favorite cover artists.” He bent down to continue rummaging through his bag. “Aha!” He drew out two more scent patches and pressed them into Tsukishima’s hands. “Use these. And I’ll send you the song link later – the animation that comes with it is beautiful.”

They took turns brushing their teeth in front of the mirror in the bathroom. Tsukishima rinsed his mouth out and realized a problem. He waited for Sugawara to spit out his toothpaste and rinse his mouth out before speaking. “Our uniforms are still in the club room lockers.”

Sugawara lifted his gaze from his reflection to Tsukishima and smiled mischievously. “Then I guess we have to be the first to be in the club room.”

Tsukishima opened his mouth. “But the keys-”

Sugawara pressed a finger to Tsukishima’s mouth. “Shhhh, there are other ways to get into the club room. Now, let’s hurry.”

Needless to say, Daichi was bemused to find the two of them in the club room when he unlocked the door. “Again?” That one word made Tsukishima question how often his Head Omega must’ve snuck into a locked club room for the captain to be used to it. And if his classmates questioned why Tsukishima suddenly smelled so strongly of mint, they never verbalized it.

During afternoon practice, Tsukishima pulled his track jacket on before realizing it was too small for him. He glanced at the sleeves of the jacket, of which ended up too high on his arms. And the hem of the jacket was too high up. Bringing the collar of the team jacket to his nose, Tsukishima sniffed at it. It smelled of strawberries but underneath that it smelled of- Oh. He glanced across the clubroom to find the silver-haired setter in a similar predicament. Oops.

Across the clubroom, Sugawara pulled on Tsukishima’s track jacket to find that it was a size too large. The sleeves came up to his fingertips and the hem of the jacket hung low, almost halfway down his thighs. It smelled of mint but also- Blushing, he immediately shed the jacket and exchanged it with Tsukishima.

In the background, Tanaka began cackling, the alpha finding the situation hilarious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so I typed this chapter out while looping this song. It's the same song Sugawara has as his alarm. I suggest listening to it if you haven't already heard of it. The animation and art style is straight up gorgeous. 
> 
> Amatsuki: Little Love Song  
> https://youtu.be/Woorod1gJ_w?list=RDEMC41OB4v3bbNVM7VfwVAI9g


	2. Kageyama Tobio - Sweet Cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama flinched as he did so and Suga frowned slightly, unsure whether it was the question or his sudden appearance that made the omega react in such a way. “N-Nothing’s wrong, Suga-san,” he stuttered out, shying away from Suga.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo, I'm back with another chapter~  
> I'm so soft for interactions between our favorite Karasuno setters  
> Fun Fact: I'm basing everyone's scent by the types of food they like (except Suga, I gave him a minty scent because of his nickname from Oikawa - I mean, what could be more refreshing than mint?)

Sugawara could've been enjoying his lunch break today, but here he was, scrambling to give out the permission slips for the upcoming Tokyo Training Camp. They were originally supposed to be handed out during today’s morning practice, but it was quickly cancelled due to everyone waking up to a fierce thunderstorm. The thought of trudging through the heavy rain with unpredictably strong winds had Sugawara grimacing. The dark storm clouds blotted out what was left of the weak morning sun. It would’ve been dangerous to get to Karasuno with such low visibility early in the morning.

Daichi had immediately sent a message through the ‘Volleyball Crows’ group chat that it was too dangerous to be outside and that morning practice was cancelled. He also stated that with his authority as Head Alpha, if he found anyone in the gym before classes, he’d whoop their asses into next year. Sugawara could almost hear Daichi’s growls through the messages.

Sugawara shivered slightly, recalling the tree branch that fell in front of his house during the early hours of the morning. What if something happened to any of his precious crows on the way to school? A falling tree, a sudden landslide, an agitated mama bear? Anything could've happened to Hinata on the way to school, especially since he biked the mountain pass to school every day. But now, as he searched the entire school for Kageyama, maybe he should've been more concerned for Kageyama instead of Hinata.

He hadn't seen the first-year setter since Friday’s afternoon practice. It had been easy enough to find the others: Daichi was discussing matters with Kiyoko in the halls, Asahi was enjoying lunch in the courtyards with Nishinoya, Tanaka was chatting animatedly with the rest of the second years about a new action-movie that came out, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima were studying together in their classroom, and Yachi was tutoring Hinata on English. But Kageyama wasn’t with any of them. Where could he be? Sugawara headed in the direction of Kageyama’s classroom.

A few minutes later, he slid the door of Classroom 1-3 shut behind him with a sigh. Turns out Kageyama did get to school safely, but he was nowhere to be seen. His classmates had no idea where Kageyama went either, nor were they interested in finding out. They were more interested in ogling at him, a third-year omega suddenly appearing in a first-year classroom. He pushed it to the back of his mind – Kiyoko often faced this problem as manager as well.

But the classmates’ lackluster responses nearly broke Sugawara’s heart. Did Kageyama truly have no friends outside of volleyball? He shook himself out of his reverie and remembered that the scent of sweet cream was still faint at Kageyama’s desk. Clutching the last permission slip with a determined expression on his face, Sugawara tried checking the places Kageyama normally frequented. The halls? Check. The vending machines? Check. The main courtyard? Check.

Ready to admit defeat, the silver-haired setter slumped against a vending machine and exhaled in frustration. Suddenly Sugawara perked up, his ears picking up the tell-tale sound of a volleyball being gently set against the wall repeatedly. That was strange – who would spend their lunch break alone?

The sky was clear and there was no evidence of the fierce thunderstorm that took place earlier this morning. Only the slight coolness of the air and its crisp scent remained. Sugawara tripped on a small branch and caught himself in time. Frowning at the branch, he surveyed the ground of the main courtyard. There were small branches and leaves littering the ground, another remainder of the storm. He skirted around then and made his way to the source of the sounds.

_Tmp. Pause. Tmp. Pause. Tmp. Pause._

Sugawara peeked around the corner of the gym building. It was Kageyama with the volleyball, but something was wrong. His deep blue eyes were clouded and there was something mechanical about his sets – they even sounded mechanical.

_Tmp. Pause. Tmp. Pause. Tmp. Pause._

“Kageyama?” Sugawara ventured out to alert him of his presence. But he was ignored, Kageyama was far away in a world of his own. Sugawara came closer and tapped his shoulder. “Kageyama?”

The raven-haired setter froze, letting the volleyball drop mid-set. The ball rolled to a stop at Sugawara’s feet. The Head Omega bent down to pick it up, tucking the volleyball under one arm. Kageyama looked lost without the volleyball, lowering his hands with his gaze fixed to them. Numbly, the first-year mechanically slid down the wall and tucked his arms around himself.

“What’s wrong?” Sugawara murmured, sliding down the wall to sit next to his kouhai. Kageyama flinched as he did so and Sugawara frowned slightly, unsure whether it was the question or his sudden appearance that made the omega react in such a way.

“N-Nothing’s wrong, Sugawara-san,” Kageyama stuttered out, shying away from Sugawara. But Sugawara was having none of that, his instincts kicking in and signaling that this wasn’t normal. He gazed at Kageyama’s face, taking in how pale he was and how his lips trembled. Kageyama’s scent even had a sour twist, albeit small, but it was a sure sign of an omega in distress. Throwing caution to the wind, Sugawara gently wrapped his arms around the omega and let Kageyama’s nose brush against his own scent glands.

The volleyball and permission slip now lay abandoned on the floor as the two scented each other, the light scent of mint and sweet cream mingling in the air. Sugawara could feel Kageyama relaxing into his hold and he gently rubbed at Kageyama’s back, silently communicating his support. To his surprise, he felt a wetness at his neck. Was Kageyama crying?

Kageyama was indeed crying and his body shook with the effort of stifling his cries. Sugawara only held him tighter, letting out soft purrs to comfort his kouhai. It felt like hours, but it had only been a few minutes when Kageyama’s soft sobs died down.

“Feel any better?” Sugawara murmured, craning his neck to look at the fluffy head of black hair. When Sugawara went to lean back, Kageyama’s arms tightened around his waist.

“Can we stay like this for a bit longer?” Kageyama whispered into Sugawara’s neck. Sugawara nodded, running his fingers through the taller omega’s hair. Then it finally clicked in his mind. Sugawara pulled back from the omega, eliciting a small whine. With his hands on Kageyama’s shoulders, Sugawara exclaimed, “Were you touch-starved?” He took a close look at Kageyama’s eyes, they were slightly dilated. It would certainly explain Kageyama’s uncharacteristic behavior. After Sugawara took the volleyball, he’d immediately hugged himself and flinched at Sugawara’s proximity. But he was alright when Sugawara last saw him on Friday, no omega could get so touch deprived this quickly, what brought it on?

Kageyama grimaced and looked away, “Was home alone during the thunderstorm. Lightning struck the tree near my bedroom window. Couldn’t sleep after,” He took a deep breath, “And my teachers yelled at me for not paying attention.”

_Last night, Kageyama stayed up watching volleyball videos to distract himself from how empty the house was. There was no one to tell him to sleep. Lost in the playbacks of powerful serves and seamless teamwork, he clutched his own volleyball to his chest. His fingers itched to copy the setters in the video. As the match ended on the screen, Kageyama sighed and glanced at the time. One in the morning._

_Shutting the tablet off, Kageyama pushed it to the side and took his earbuds out. He lay back on the bed with his volleyball resting on his stomach. He turned on his side and took a deep breath. Kageyama could smell his own scent of sweet cream on his pillow but it only served to exacerbate his loneliness._

_Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the dark bedroom. Kageyama raised himself with his elbow to peer out the window. The small drizzle outside escalated to heavy drops pelting against the glass. The resulting thunder rumbled ominously in the distance and Kageyama flinched at its volume. He shakily reached out to the window and shivered at the sensation of droplets battering away on the other side._

_He’d read something online about measuring how distant a thunderstorm was. Something like counting the number of seconds after a flash of lightning. He clutched the volleyball to his chest and drew his fingers back. Another flash of lightning and Kageyama had yet to wrench his gaze from the window. Blinking the spots out of his vision, he began to count silently._

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Te-_

_There was a clap of thunder and Kageyama let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d be holding. What else did the article say? Divide the number of seconds by three. Ten, no. Nine seconds divided by three was three. The storm was three kilometers away. That was far away, right?_

_Liar, his traitorous mind whispered, you run more than four kilometers every morning. Kageyama squeezed his eyes shut, unwilling to witness any more lightning strikes. Despite how hard he tried not to look, he still saw flashes of light through his eyelids. Unconsciously, Kageyama began to count._

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Si-_

_Another clap of thunder, louder than the previous one and it seemed closer. Kageyama’s breath caught in his throat. Six seconds divided by three meant the storm was two kilometers away. He bit back a whimper. He was all alone in the house. Kageyama spared a glance at his phone. Perhaps he could text Hinata. No, the orange-haired alpha was probably asleep. Who else could he text? Another flash of lightning and Kageyama began counting out loud._

_“One. Two. Thr-” A loud clap of thunder and Kageyama bit off a squeak._

_No one, his mind whispered, you’ve finally realized that you’re truly alone. Blinking back tears, Kageyama reached for the curtains of the window. If he could just close the curtains, then the lightning wouldn’t pierce through his closed eyes. As he grasped the fabric of the curtains, a strike of lightning came and struck the large tree in front of his window. A deafening crash resulted from the tree splitting in two and its pieces violently landing on the ground._

_Kageyama lost his grip on the volleyball and it rolled off the bed as Kageyama covered his ears with his hands. Hyperventilating, the omega tried shutting out what he just witnessed. The tall, proud tree that he’d always climbed in his childhood was just struck. He was truly alone._

_Even with his back to the window, lightning illuminated his vision. Thunder rumbled directly above him and Kageyama let out a sob, curling up on his bed. He’d never even closed the curtains, but now he was too scared to be met with the sight of the fallen tree._

_Another flash of lightning lit up the room. Even the volleyball he hugged for comfort had rolled to a stop in the middle of the room. The resulting thunder that immediately followed confirmed his fears. The thunderstorm was directly above and there was nothing he could do._

_Kageyama stifled his sobs and buried his face into the pillow. He clutched at his ears and prayed for the storm to cease. And that was how he drifted into an uneasy slumber, tear tracks glimmering on his face as he dreamed of lightning and split trees._

Sugawara winced in sympathy. The tree branch falling in front of his own house had been scary enough for him, but lightning striking an entire tree? That would’ve been jarring. He lightly tilted Kageyama’s chin to face him. “What about your mom?” He didn’t miss how the younger omega flinched at the touch.

Kageyama’s eyes shone with unshed tears and he looked away. “Okaa-san is an alpha and she doesn’t understand omegas.” He sighed bitterly, “She left for a week-long business trip on Thursday.”

Frowning lightly, Sugawara quietly asked, “What about other omegas from the team? You know you could always ask us for help if you needed it.” He tilted Kageyama’s chin to face him again and this time the omega held his gaze.

Kageyama tilted his head. “Even if it’s late at night?” He tried not to let his hope show through his tone.

Sugawara nodded confidently. “Even then.” He paused thoughtfully, “It’s more important that you don’t suffer on your own.” He grinned brightly. “In fact, last night was a restless night for me too. I always have my ringer on, so don’t be afraid to text or call me.” Sugawara sighed inwardly. After all, his kouhai’s well-being was always more important than his own sleep.

Sugawara noticed Kageyama hesitate on the last statement. “Doesn’t Suga-san get more tired easily now? With juggling college-level classes and staying on the team?” Sugawara winced, his junior totally saw through that, didn’t he.

Sugawara sighed and pulled the younger omega into a hug. “Your well-being, be it emotional or physical, is far more important to me as Head Omega.” He pulled back. “Got it?”

At Kageyama’s hesitant nod, Sugawara pressed his lips to his fellow setter's forehead before continuing, “Don’t deny your secondary gender - any longer and you could’ve worked yourself into a drop.”

When Kageyama opened his mouth to protest, Sugawara cut him off. “Don’t argue with me, mister. Your eyes were almost in _that_ state.” Kageyama’s jaw snapped shut and he pouted petulantly.

Sugawara untangled himself from Kageyama, straightening up and groaning when he felt his back pop in multiple places. _Kouhai were so much work_ , he thought to himself as Kageyama silently followed suit. He turned to grab the fallen permission slip and volleyball when out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kageyama drop into a deep bow.

“Thank you, Suga-san!” Kageyama whisper-yelled, making Sugawara somewhat grateful they were alone by the gym.

Flashing his trademark grin, Sugawara handed him both the volleyball and the permission slip. “It’s fine, but don’t forget that it’s ok to rely on us omegas even when you feel as though you have no one to turn to.”

Briskly walking to Classroom 3-4, Sugawara slid into his seat moments before the Literature teacher walked in.

Nudging his arm, Daichi whispered, “How come you were gone for so long? I thought you were only going to hand out permission slips.”

Sugawara waved him off, “Had omega matters to take care of, why?”

“Is that why you smell like Kageyama?” Daichi furrowed his eyebrows, casually sniffing the air around Sugawara. Sugawara opened his mouth to answer only to be cut off by the stern voice of their teacher.

“Sawamura-kun, Sugawara-kun, would you two like to recite the next Kanshi piece?” The pair immediately fell silent, prompting a small ‘I thought so’ from their teacher.

Daichi shot him a look. They would discuss this later and Sugawara nodded before focusing his attention on the poem in front of him.

Later in the day during afternoon practice, Sugawara tugged on Tsukishima’s sleeve to grab his attention. Balancing on his tip-toes to share a shortened version of what happened during their lunch period, Sugawara asked Tsukishima to keep an eye out for Kageyama. The blond was the only omega around Kageyama’s age and Tsukishima gave a grudging nod.

A week later, Sugawara received a text message from Kageyama. Rubbing his eyes, Sugawara pushed his blanket off and looked out the window. It was early morning and only a few minutes before his alarm would ring.

Turning back to his phone, Sugawara swiped on the notification. He was greeted with the sight of a single picture, no caption included, of what seemed to be a new sapling outside a window. Was this taken from Kageyama’s bedroom?

Sugawara tilted his head in confusion. Wasn’t it currently Kageyama’s heat? Taking a closer look at the picture, he noticed black glasses on the windowsill and tufts of blond hair in the corner of the picture. Cooing at how cute his kouhai were, Sugawara received another text.

_There’s a new tree now._

_Don’t worry about my heat, Kei helped me through my heat._

_But I woke up before him._

_And turned off his alarm on his phone – it’s a nice song._

_But he named the alarm ‘Suga-san’s Song.’_

Sugawara smiled softly down at his phone. The three dots popped up and Sugawara waited for Kageyama to finish texting. But only a minute passed before the three dots stopped appearing.

_Thank you, Suga-san._

The silver-haired setter stifled a laugh. It took that long to say thank you? He grinned, his kouhai was learning. He scrolled up to review the picture again but paused, finally noticing the name. Sugawara raised an eyebrow, first name basis with Tsukishima, huh. He could see an unlikely friendship blooming between the two already. Quickly typing a reply, he pressed ‘Send’ before setting his phone down on the bed.

_Nonsense, we omegas take care of each other._

_And don't you forget that._

_I’m curious though – who was the small spoon this time?_

While Sugawara was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, the three dots appeared again on the screen of the phone left on the bed. The conversation that was left open updated with a flurry of messages.

_Kei was._

_Tobio was._

_Suga-san, get Kei to stop stealing my phone._

_I would if King would just give my glasses back._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! I've updated this chapter too! Please tell me what you think of this fic in the comments <3
> 
> Next Stop: Feverish Nishinoya Yuu


	3. Nishinoya Yuu - Caramel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whipping around immediately, Sugawara was met with the sight of Nishinoya splayed out on the floor. There was a moment of silence where everyone was frozen in place, hoping that Nishinoya would spring up under the guise of a joke. But the libero stayed down, looking so small splayed out on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyyyyy, sorry for taking so long to update  
> Marching band season is upon us! Raise your hand if you're in marching band :DDD

Sugawara shivered, wrapping his baby blue scarf tighter around his neck. The year was on the cusp of winter and the weather this morning reflected that. Trudging on the path to morning practice, he took in the few stubborn leaves that were still clinging onto some trees, even as a stronger breeze blew through. It reminded him of what people used to refer to Karasuno – grounded crows. Only, they weren’t quite grounded, they clung on to the slightest hope of victory. Just like how the leaves clung onto those otherwise barren branches.

A series of quiet chimes came from his phone, shaking him out of his reverie. Digging it out of the depths of his blazer, he saw it was Tanaka complaining about in the team group chat. Sugawara giggled. Tanaka must’ve woken up late as usual. The hard-headed alpha was notorious for cutting things close when arriving to morning practice. By now, even the first years knew and expected it.

_Uwaaa, it’s so cold out – Tanaka_

_Good morning, Tanaka-san! – Hinata_

_It is cold today!_ _ﾍ_ _(=_ _￣_ _∇_ _￣_ _)_ _ﾉ_ _– Hinata_

_It sure is! I’d hate getting sick… – Tanaka_

_But I thought idiots couldn’t catch colds – Tsukishima_

_Says the one who gets cold easily – Yamaguchi_

_Urusai, Yamaguchi – Tsukishima_

_Gomen, Tsukki – Yamaguchi_

_We’re already here – Kageyama_

_Yeah, Bakashima, we got here first! – Hinata_

_Of course those two did – Tsukishima_

_Did you guys race again? – Yamaguchi_

_N-no! – Hinata_

_… Yes – Kageyama_

Sugawara snickered and quickly sent his message.

_Which one is it? – Suga_

_Oi, you guys better not get sick before training camp – Daichi_

_Y-Yes Captain! – Asahi_

Snickering at his team’s antics, the silver-haired setter typed out another message of his own.

_What Daichi means is that you guys should bundle up before heading out – Suga_

_Leave it to Suga-san to soften the blow! – Tanaka_

_But I couldn’t find my gloves this morning TT^TT – Kinoshita_

_Saaaame, I bet my brother stole mine -_- – Narita_

_I brought hot packs if anyone needs them – Ennoshita_

_You’re a lifesaver, Ennoshita! – Tanaka_

_I think everyone will need one – Suga_

_Everyone go straight to the gym today – Daichi_

_It’s too cold to travel between the club room and the gym in shorts – Daichi_

Sugawara pocketed his phone, his fingers frozen stiff. He blew on his fingers in an attempt to warm them, his breath coming out in puffs of white. As soon as the gym building came into view, the setter quickened his steps, eager to escape the chill. Sugawara slid the gym door open while toeing off his shoes.

“Sugawara-san, catch!”

Sugawara looked up – only to be lightly hit in the face with a hot pack. He shot out his hand, catching it before it could hit the floor.

“Nice receive, Suga!” Daichi called out from the other side of the gym while small giggles erupted from the small alpha in front of Sugawara.

Sliding the door shut behind him and narrowing his eyes playfully, Sugawara held up the hot pack, “Who threw this?”

“Uh, Tsukishima did!” Hinata declared, hiding his giggles behind a hand. From across the gym, Sugawara could see Tsukishima raising an eyebrow. Sugawara set his schoolbag down on the side of the gym.

Sugawara hummed, pretending to be deep in thought. “Oh, is that right? That means Tsukishima gets a little kiss of thanks for me. It was awfully cold today…”

Sugawara slowly made his way towards the blond omega when there was a flurry of motion from Hinata. “Suga-saaaaaaaaan,” Hinata pouted, “I want a kiss, I gave you that hot pack!”

“You mean you threw it at me,” Sugawara kindly reminded, turning to ruffle Hinata’s hair. “But thank you.” Pressing a kiss to Hinata’s forehead, Sugawara heard the rest of the team members making their way through the door.

While Ennoshita handed out the rest of his hot packs, Sugawara made his rounds around the gym, giving his usual forehead kisses to all his kouhai. No one, not even the first years blinked at that, clearly accepting this behavior to be fitting of the Head Omega.

While Hinata had preened at his forehead kiss from Sugawara, Tsukishima sat on the side of the gym and silently leaned into Sugawara’s touch. Kageyama paused in his setting to bend down, accommodating to Sugawara’s height so that Sugawara could press his lips to his forehead.

Sugawara made his way over to the betas of the team. Yamaguchi straightened up from retying his shoelaces and Sugawara beckoned him over. Yamaguchi smiled sweetly and lowered his head, allowing for Sugawara to press a kiss to his forehead. Behind Yamaguchi, Kinoshita was helping Narita stretch by pushing his shoulders towards the ground. Sugawara approached the sandy-haired beta and Kinoshita paused in helping Narita. Winking, Kinoshita tapped his left cheek and Sugawara only giggled, complying and pressing a chaste kiss to Kinoshita’s cheek. Turning his attention to the beta on the ground, Sugawara smiled at Narita and crouched down to his level. Rubbing Narita’s hair affectionately, Sugawara pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Straightening up, Sugawara turned to Ennoshita and the alpha raised his head. The silver-haired setter pressed the hot pack back into Ennoshita’s hands, murmuring his thanks as he raised himself up on his tip-toes to press a chaste kiss on Ennoshita’s forehead.

But there was something off – he made note of the number of people in the room. The first years were all here, that was four. The third years were here, himself included, making seven in total so far. Furrowing his eyebrows, he counted the second years. There were only ten of them in the gym, which meant-

Tanaka threw the gym door open with a bang, stumbling in with a flurry of apologies. Ennoshita blinked, apparently realizing the same thing as Sugawara. “You’re still late, Tanaka. But you’re not the last to practice.”

Quickly catching the hot pack sent his way, Tanaka tilted his head. “You serious? Awesome!” He quickly deflated, after realizing who was missing. “Noya-san’s the one late?” With an affirmative nod from Ennoshita, Tanaka frowned.

Sugawara wracked his brain, trying to remember whether Nishinoya said anything in the group chat. From all the excitement of this morning, it completely escaped his mind that they hadn’t heard a peep from the libero. That in itself was a red flag – Nishinoya was the one person who you could count on being on the group chat at all times (even when he should’ve been asleep). Opening his mouth, he was interrupted by Nishinoya stumbling through the open doorway.

“Speak of the devil-” Ennoshita started.

“And he will come.” Sugawara finished for Ennoshita, taking in the libero’s ruffled appearance. Nishinoya’s hair was spiked up as usual but he seemed to lack his usual energy. Looking closer, he noticed that the other omega’s eyes seemed hazy and slightly unfocused. He wasn’t exactly dressed for the weather, his blazer haphazardly thrown on top of his practice gear. Sugawara was pretty sure the flush on Nishinoya’s face wasn’t just from the cold or from the rush to practice.

“Good morning!” Nishinoya called out to the rest of the team with forced cheer. He noticed both Ennoshita and Sugawara watching him carefully and quickly looked away. “I woke up later than Ryuu today, can you believe?” He joked to the rest of the team, absentmindedly taking the hot pack that Ennoshita offered.

It wasn’t even a minute later that the omega handed it back, not needing the warmth that the hot pack provided. Raising an eyebrow, Sugawara only watched Nishinoya stretch before joining the rest of the team. The libero’s actions seemed sluggish – was his heat approaching?

Walking up to Nishinoya to lay a hand on his shoulder, Sugawara sighed, “Don’t be late next time – Tanaka being earlier than someone else doesn’t sit well with me.” There was an indignant ‘ _Hey_!’ in the background which Sugawara pointedly ignored.

Pressing his lips to the libero’s forehead, Sugawara noticed that Nishinoya’s temperature was higher than average. Pulling away, Sugawara frowned, ready to lecture the omega when he caught a whiff of his scent. The omega’s normal caramel scent was stronger, almost overpowering in close proximity. It must be Nishinoya’s pre-heat symptoms. Normally, when omegas were sick, their scents became muted and in this case, it was the opposite. Sugawara made a note to approach Nishinoya about this after morning practice.

Unfortunately, they never got to that point.

While Sugawara was practicing with the other pinch servers, Kinoshita and Yamaguchi, the rest of the team took it upon themselves to organize a little exercise. Asahi, Narita, Ennoshita, Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Hinata were on one side of the net while Daichi, Tsukishima, and Kageyama were on the other.

This setup allowed the team to practice new combinations while coming up with ways to block. At this point, they were polishing how smoothly the libero toss was executed. At the first attempt, the three blockers stood at attention while Nishinoya pushed off and jumped. However, the libero missed the ball and stumbled forward as he landed, earning glances of concern from the team, especially from Tsukishima and Kageyama. From the other side of the net, the two omegas exchanged looks with each other before glancing at Sugawara with a silent message. _We’ll keep an eye on him for you._

Yamaguchi’s voice broke through Sugawara’s thoughts, “Sugawara-san? Is there something wrong with my floater serves?” Sugawara stiffened, not quite willing to admit he hadn’t been watching. Thankfully, Kinoshita noticed and jumped in, giving pointers on the timing of the serve.

Sugawara heard the loud slam of a volleyball being spiked successfully behind him with team’s cheers ringing through the gym – Nishinoya must’ve tossed to their reliable ace. Almost immediately after, he heard a different type of thud and the gym went almost eerily silent.

Whipping around immediately, Sugawara was met with the sight of Nishinoya splayed out on the floor. There was a moment of silence where everyone was frozen in place, hoping that Nishinoya would spring up under the guise of a joke. But the libero stayed down, looking so small splayed out on the floor.

Tsukishima and Kageyama were the ones who surged forward, quickly ducking under the net to kneel by Nishinoya. Sugawara ran towards them from the other side of the gym, the rest of the team still frozen in shock. Tsukishima gathered the unconscious omega in his arms, pulling him in closer – his usual aloofness gone, replaced by steely concern. Kageyama leaned in, resting the back of his hand on Nishinoya’s forehead – only to draw back with a quiet hiss.

Skidding to a stop by his omegas, Sugawara clicked his tongue nervously and knelt down besides them. Gently poking at Nishinoya’s inflamed scent glands, Sugawara asked, “Fever or heat?” Biting his lip, Sugawara looked up, only to be met with twin expressions of helplessness. They had no clue; his symptoms were contradictory with each other.

The worried whispers that broke out behind them slowly started to increase in volume. Nishinoya’s behavior was similar to that of a pre-heat, but his fever-like symptoms proved otherwise. Additionally, his caramel scent was strong, overwhelmingly so. It was beginning to overpower the combined scents of the other three omegas kneeling on the cold gym floor. No omega with a fever would have such a strong scent, only those in heat did. Either way, they had to get Nishinoya out of there.

Sugawara nervously surveyed the rest of their team members, Tsukishima and Kageyama following suit. The team was currently struggling to remain unaffected by the libero’s strong scent, but it were the alphas that were having the hardest time. Where were Sensei and Ukai when he needed them? _Right, they were discussing financial matters with their managers in the Teacher’s Lounge._ Slowly getting up, Sugawara glanced pointedly towards the gym doors behind him. The message couldn’t be any clearer to the two omegas behind him. _Get Nishinoya out of here … before anything can happen._

His kouhais nodded, silently rising to their feet. Kageyama turned towards the doors with Tsukishima following close behind with Nishinoya in his arms. Sugawara stayed where he was and kept his eyes trained on the rest of the team. He didn’t relax even when Kageyama slid the doors open for Tsukishima. He had to keep his guard up in case one of the alphas on the team snapped and lunged for his omegas.

A tense silence surrounded the gym as Sugawara faced the rest of his team. As Head Omega, he had some authority, but he hoped he didn’t have to use it. Yamaguchi, Narita, and Kinoshita shifted awkwardly, eyeing the alphas with caution. As the team betas, they’d have to side with the Head Omega. Sugawara’s mouth began to draw back into a snarl and he crouched down, the exact picture of a protective mother.

Thankfully, a warning growl from Daichi, the Head Alpha, snapped the team alphas out of a daze. The betas sighed in relief, relaxing their stances. Sugawara cautiously backed away, nodding gratefully at Yamaguchi, Narita, Kinoshita, and Daichi before turning around to join Kageyama and Tsukishima.

Sugawara finally caught up with Kageyama and Tsukishima at the front of the school entrance. Any other day, he would’ve poked fun at how fast the two omegas could be with their long legs, but today wasn’t the day for that. He joined Kageyama in the struggle to slide open the metal door, still struggling with their combined strength. After a few moments passed, Tsukishima couldn’t take the cold any longer.

“Suga-san,” Tsukishima prompted, “Carry Nishinoya-senpai, I’ll help open the door.” Quickly handing Nishinoya to Sugawara, who grunted at the unexpected weight, Tsukishima pushed his black frames up his nose before wrapping his fingers around the cold door handle.

As if preparing for a three-man block, Tsukishima counted off. “One, two, three!” At three, the two of them pulled and slowly pulled the door open. Karasuno really had to take a look at the front door, it was damn near impossible to open properly. Especially on cold days.

Rushing through the empty halls with Kageyama and Tsukishima at his side, Sugawara finally reached the flight of stairs that would take them to the nurse’s office.

Kageyama noticed how both Sugawara and Tsukishima were panting, worn out from their turns of carrying Nishinoya. He wordlessly offered to take Nishinoya from Sugawara’s arms, which Sugawara was all too happy to comply with.

Handing Nishinoya off to Kageyama, Sugawara held the stairwell door open, letting everyone pass through. It was concerning that Nishinoya hadn’t even stirred despite all the jostling but first things first – they had to get him to the nurse’s office.

They made it to the nurse’s office in one piece. Laying Nishinoya down on a cot, the three of them sank down, panting from the physical exertion. Despite his size, Nishinoya was muscular and therefore not light.

The nurse lifted her head from her paperwork and immediately got up with alarm in her eyes. She headed towards the prone form of the omega on the cot, shooing the three away from him. Taking in Nishinoya’s sorry state, she muttered a quiet ‘poor dear’ before fussing over him.

Now leaning against the wall of the sterile room as the three of them caught their breath, Sugawara was bemused at how they could survive a full volleyball match but still have difficulties bringing Nishinoya to the nurse’s office. He didn’t realize he spoke out loud until Kageyama answered that they’ve technically never trained for this.

Tsukishima snorted, “Of course not, King.” Kageyama didn’t even bristle at the jab anymore, the insult becoming more of a nickname. “Who ever plans to collapse mid-practice?”

Kageyama shrugged absentmindedly and Tsukishima turned his attention to Sugawara. “Did anyone on the team turn on you when we carried Nishinoya-san out?” He tilted his head in concern, “Staying behind was dangerous, we know you’re Head Omega, but-”

Sugawara shook his head, “No, Daichi was able to keep them in line.”

“Did Ya-” Tsukishima bit off the rest of his question. “I mean, did the betas have to jump in?”

Sugawara smiled tiredly at him. “It was close, but thankfully Daichi deescalated the situation.”

Kageyama stated thoughtfully, “I think Daichi-san was mostly worried about you, Suga-san.”

Tsukishima opened his mouth to add his two cents before the nurse called for them. Snapping his mouth shut, the blond slowly got up to reach Nishinoya’s cot with Sugawara and Kageyama following behind.

The nurse turned to face them, “I don’t know whether you’re aware of this, but,” she paused, looking down at the libero’s files, “Nishinoya-kun here is an irregular omega. His scent becomes particularly strong whenever his body isn’t in his natural state. That includes any hormonal imbalances. It can be very easy to confuse a heat between a fever and vice versa.” The three omegas glanced at each other.

She continued on, “Today’s occurrence was most likely a combination of exhaustion and the changing seasons, coupled with Nishinoya-kun’s irregularity. A little care and some bed rest will do him good.” She looked at the three of them, “I’m assuming you three just came from morning practice. Classes start soon, who’s getting your belongings?”

“Daichi is-”

“Yamaguchi is-”

“Hinata is-”

The three of them blurted out at the same time, before looking at each other and shrugging.

The nurse raised an eyebrow. She had meant to ask which person out of the three of them would go. But she wasn’t going to question it. A small whine rose from the omega on the cot and the school nurse took that as a signal to give the omegas their privacy.

Nishinoya blinked open, scrunching his face in pain as the bright light pierced through his vision. Immediately squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to sort out the situation. His hazy mind didn’t help. This wasn’t his bedroom and he could smell faint scents over his own. Strawberries, cream, and mint –Tsukishima, Kageyama, and Sugawara-san? What were they doing here? His eyes shot open and he tried to sit up, only to be stopped by a pair of strong arms. Kageyama?

“Stay down,” Kageyama said gruffly, carefully lowering him back down. Nishinoya would’ve normally protested but he couldn’t find the energy within him to do so.

Sugawara bent down, lightly nosing at the omega’s swollen scent glands. Nishinoya relaxed into the cot, purring at the comfort of Sugawara’s scent.

Tsukishima returned with a cool compress and a cup of water in his hands – since when had he gotten up? Kageyama felt for Nishinoya’s temperature again, only to find it had gotten worse. The raven-haired setter moved aside for Tsukishima to lay the cool compress across Nishinoya’s forehead.

Nishinoya whined quietly. The compress was freezing against his burning skin. He would be lying if he said he hated the current situation. Nishinoya did enjoy being looked after by his fellow omegas, but he wished this had happened under different circumstances.

Accepting the drink of water, Nishinoya took careful sips from the cup. The cold water did help with clearing the haze from his mind. Turning his head, he saw that the three were still in their practice gear. Glancing down at himself, he found that he was wearing the same white t-shirt – were they at practice before?

As if reading his mind, Sugawara jumped in. “Nishinoya, what do you remember?”

Nishinoya wrinkled his nose, wracking through his brain. He faintly recalled dragging himself out of bed, dashing to practice, missing receives and jumps, then free-falling. What was prevalent though all of those was the sudden switches between the burning heat and the numbing cold.

Kageyama saved him from having to answer by climbing into the cot, pulling Nishinoya into his lap. “It doesn’t matter,” the blue-eyed setter murmured, “You need rest.” Tsukishima took it as a signal to join Kageyama, making a show of how reluctant he was. But it didn’t fool any of them, not even Nishinoya.

Taking a small step back, Sugawara inwardly cooed at how adorable his juniors were. The three of them somehow fit on a small cot meant for one person. Leave it to his kouhais to surprise him off-court as well.

Glancing around, he finally found what he was looking for. He silently dragged a small stool to the side of the bed. By then, his kouhais had shifted around to make themselves more comfortable. This time, Sugawara couldn’t keep quiet – a small ‘aww’ escaped him.

Nishinoya was sandwiched between the two taller omegas. Kageyama had wrapped his arms around Nishinoya’s waist and was nosing at the libero’s scent glands. Unsurprisingly, Nishinoya himself was slowly drifting off, his face buried in Tsukishima’s chest. Tsukishima was playing with the blond lock of hair that fell over Nishinoya’s face, his slender fingers twirling it round and round. Their legs were tangled together and it looked cute, especially considering their height differences.

Taking in their sleepy gazes and the thin t-shirts they were wearing, Sugawara shook his head disapprovingly. That wouldn’t do. Walking over to the closet where the blankets were kept, he pulled out a soft blue blanket. Sugawara’s inner omega instincts hummed in contentment. Perfect – his omegas wouldn’t freeze, not if he could help it. As he quietly spread the blanket over the three omegas, Tsukishima and Kageyama didn’t pause in their ministrations. Nishinoya was already fast asleep, chest rising and falling slightly.

Leaning over, Sugawara lightly ran his fingers over the frame of Tsukishima’s glasses, silently asking for permission. Tsukishima closed his eyes, letting Sugawara slide the frames off his face. Meeting the gazes of the two first-years, Sugawara nodded. They deserved to rest, especially after all the drama this morning. He leaned over to press light kisses to their foreheads (or on Nishinoya’s forehead compress) and tucked the blanket closer to their chins.

Settling down on the small stool, Sugawara leaned on the cot and watched over the three of them as they drifted off to sleep. The soft morning light filtering through the window cast a peaceful glow upon their sleeping faces. The combined scents of his omegas as well as his own was starting to make Sugawara sleepy.

The clock above the doorway signaled that there was still half an hour before classes began. A small nap couldn’t hurt. Sugawara burrowed into his arms and closed his eyes. But hushed whispers and small scuffles at the door caught his attention. Raising his head to see who it was, Sugawara was pleasantly surprised to see the entire team crowding the doorway. Pressing a finger to his lips, Sugawara gestured to the sleeping omegas on the cot.

The rest of the team nodded, and some stepped forward, carrying the belongings the omegas left behind. Daichi carefully set down Sugawara’s bag next to his stool, while behind him, Hinata, Yamaguchi, and Tanaka lay their best friend’s bags to lean in a row against the cot.

Reaching a hand to ruffle the silver-haired setter’s hair, Daichi whispered, “Everything alright?”

Leaning into Daichi’s touch, Sugawara hummed, “Everything’s good. Nishinoya’s sleeping off his fever and we’re all just tired from everything today.”

Brushing Sugawara’s bangs out of his eyes, Daichi murmured, “Sleep, we can explain to the teachers.” Daichi turned to where the rest of the team was, “Isn’t that right?” There was a quiet ‘ossu!’ from the team.

Sugawara smiled sleepily - even away from the court, the team was responsive. A little nap couldn’t hurt, right? He burrowed his face into his arms, already closing his eyes. He felt a jacket drape over his shoulders as he drifted off. In the distance, Sugawara heard Daichi’s footsteps receding back as the darkness of sleep tugged at him.

It was some time later that Sugawara awoke to hushed whispers.

“Should we move him?”

“His position doesn’t look very comfortable.”

“His jacket’s slipping off his shoulders.”

Sugawara’s nose tickled and he sneezed quietly. Raising his head, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and tried to straighten up. The jacket previously around his shoulders slipped off. He immediately winced – his back was stiff and his neck already developed a crick from his previous sleeping position. Yawning and stretching his back, the setter looked at the clock before doing a double take. Noon already?!

“The nurse wrote us passes for the rest of the day,” Kageyama gestured towards their bags. There were individual paper slips on top of each person’s bag.

“At least we got a nice nap out of this,” Tsukishima remarked, pulling his glasses on.

Sugawara bent down to retrieve the fallen jacket and wrapped it around his shoulders. Wait. This wasn’t his jacket. He brought the sleeve of the jacket closer and the faint scent of pine wafted towards his nose. He hid a blush – Daichi must’ve given him his jacket because he wasn’t going to rummage through Sugawara’s own bag.

Nishinoya finally spoke up. “Why did you guys skip classes for me? What if you guys got in trouble?” His tone was somewhat subdued, and he wouldn’t meet any of their gazes.

Tsukishima sighed, pushing up his glasses. “Nishinoya-senpai, did you hear what King over there said? We have passes for the entire day. None of us are getting into trouble.” He brought his fingers to Nishinoya’s lone tuft of hair and began fiddling with it.

Kageyama hummed absentmindedly, pressing the back of his hand to Nishinoya’s forehead. “Your fever’s starting to go down too. You’ll be fine by tomorrow.”

Sugawara narrowed his eyes, jumping in. “Get enough sleep and don’t overwork yourself. The nurse said your fever was from exhaustion. Don’t make us worry.”

Again, Nishinoya burst out, “Why did you guys sacrifice your time, your grades for me? I-I’m wasting your time.”

“But you’re our Guardian Deity, of course you aren’t a waste of time.” Kageyama tilted his head, confused.

Tsukishima rubbed his temples in slight annoyance. “What this volleyball idiot means is that you always got our backs on the court. It’s only fair that we got your back too, especially off the court.” He paused before continuing. “Don’t tell anyone I said this, but-”

“We omegas take care of each other,” Tsukishima and Kageyama stated in unison, the two of them equally surprised at the other.

Sugawara felt his jaw drop. Did the two first years just quote him? Quickly getting over his shock, Sugawara nodded from his place on the stool. Beaming at the three omegas on the cot, he spoke, “And I couldn’t have said it any better.”

Nishinoya nodded thoughtfully before his eyes fixated on the jacket over Sugawara’s shoulders. “Say, Suga-san,” the libero’s eyes glittered playfully. “Nice jacket you got there. It looks larger on you than it usually does.”

Kageyama and Tsukishima turned to face Sugawara. Kageyama tilted his head in confusion and Tsukishima hid a smile behind his hands.

Sugawara blushed and hid his face in his hands. “Guys…”

Kageyama stated bluntly. “It smells like pine trees, like Daichi.”

Tsukishima flicked his forehead, “Some tact, King.” Sugawara sighed in relief, but Tsukishima only pushed his glasses up. “They’re not courting… _yet_.”

Nishinoya grinned, lightly patting Sugawara’s shoulder. “So you planning to keep it? I’m sure Daichi wouldn’t mind.” He laughed boisterously when Sugawara smacked him back, blushing furiously.

Bonus:

After the rest of the team left the nurse’s office, the nurse peeked at the omegas that came in earlier. To her surprise, they were already fast asleep. Raising an eyebrow, she surveyed every one of them. How on earth did three of them fit on a cot meant for one?

Deciding not to disturb their sleep, she grabbed her notepad, writing four different passes excusing them for the rest of the day. Tearing it out, she laid the four slips of paper on top of their respective bags. Ah, youth. They needed to take a small break every once in a while, before the flame of their youth burns out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started cackling halfway through with writing this because I realized that I was treating Nishinoya like a sack of potatoes for most of the fic. Whoops?
> 
> Anyways, leave a comment (they feed my soul<3)
> 
> Next Stop: Yachi Hitoka & Her Anxiety


	4. Yachi Hitoka - Brown Sugar Almonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tilting her head up, Yachi opened her eyes to the familiar bright blue sky. It was a welcome sight amongst the unfamiliar surroundings. Taking a deep breath, she held it until she felt brave enough to take a single step. Focusing on the path in front of her, one step at a time. Perhaps things would go smoothly today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Bursts through the door with a plate of homemade snickerdoodles* Cookies anyone?
> 
> I'm so sorry for posting several months later - but I'm still alive! I intended to draw from my own experiences for Yachi's chapter but that didn't exactly happen XD
> 
> But enjoy the chapter!

Karasuno never had a good reception among other teams, especially at tournaments. Old nicknames like ‘fallen crows’ and ‘powerhouse of the past’ stubbornly clung on to their wings. Nicknames of that nature could only be swept behind by a powerful flap of their wings – the very same wings that endured Karasuno’s fall from grace. And no one was as determined to see Karasuno’s triumph than their dear managers, Sugawara mused, particularly Yachi.

Despite her late introduction to the club, Sugawara had come to notice how truly dedicated the petite blonde was. It was shown in gestures both big and small. Whether it was her readiness to complete menial tasks or her drive to undertake tasks she would have never done, if not for her involvement with the Karasuno Volleyball Club. Like the fundraising poster she created all those weeks ago. It was thanks to her that the volleyball club could afford to go on training camps like these.

Soon, the bus rolled to a stop in front of Shinzen High School. Sugawara peered out the window to look for any sign of the other teams while in the seat beside him, Daichi stood to address the team.

“Everyone!” Daichi called out to be met with a collective ‘hai!’ Sugawara rose to his feet next to Daichi and silently tucked the tag sticking out from the collar of Daichi’s shirt.

“We have arrived at Shinzen High School, where we’ll be staying for three days, two nights. You all know the drill. Make sure to treat the courts and your lodgings the same way you would treat your own. Don’t cause any trouble amongst the teams.” Daichi sent a pointed look at Tanaka and Nishinoya and the pair smiled back sheepishly. “And make sure not to overwork yourselves, or else you’ll have both of us to answer to.” Daichi turned to Sugawara, “Anything else to add, _Vice-Captain_?” he teased.

Sugawara rolled his eyes playfully, “Well yes, _Captain_.” Whipping around to face the team, Sugawara narrowed his eyes. “If any of you guys manage to injure or overwork yourselves, you’ll wish it was just the Head Alpha you’d be answering to.”

Nervous giggles filled the air and Sugawara sighed, “But in all seriousness, make sure you take care of yourselves. Anyways, make sure everyone thanks Yachi, who created the fundraising poster.” He gestured in the direction of where Yachi was sitting. “The money generated from the poster funds every one of our training camps, including this one.”

Yachi squeaked from her seat next to Kiyoko before jumping up and waving her arms frantically. “No, no, you guys don’t have to-” The rest of the team interrupted her by bowing and shouting their thanks in unison. Yachi jumped a little at the sudden volume but settled down with Kiyoko’s hand on her shoulder. The team straightened up and laughed good-naturedly at Yachi’s jumpiness.

Sugawara smiled at her, eyes crinkling at the team’s show of thanks. When the team straightened up from their bows, Sugawara clapped his hands together. “Alright then, I believe we should get down there and introduce ourselves. Daichi?” But Daichi was only staring at him with a soft look in his eyes. “Daichi?”

Daichi blinked, “I- uh, agree with Suga. Come on, let’s head down.” The two of them were the first ones off the bus, hopping down the last step. Daichi bumped his shoulder, “Good speech, maybe you should be captain.”

Sugawara playfully smacked Daichi’s arm. “Nope, you do a better job! Now shoo, go help the team unload the bus.” With a small chuckle, Daichi turned to make his way towards the bus just as Yachi hopped off.

Shouldering the large duffel bag, Yachi carried the medical bag up to Sugawara. “Sugawara-san, can you help double check if we have enough supplies? If not, we can go out and buy more later.”

Sugawara hummed in acknowledgement and gestured for the bag to be set down. Sifting through the bag with Yachi, he found that they were running low on scent patches, medical tape, and bandages. He pointed them out to Yachi who jotted it down on the shopping list. Sugawara zipped up the bag, dusting off his pants as Yachi slung the bag over her shoulder.

Almost immediately, Kiyoko came up to him with her clipboard, detailing the sleeping arrangements and food schedules as decided upon by the managers prior to their departure. “I’ll let you and Daichi know if that changes,” she stated, tapping absentmindedly on her clipboard.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sugawara spotted Yachi walking up to each of the members and listing any of essentials they needed or had forgotten to bring. Leaning over Kiyoko’s shoulder to read the clipboard, Sugawara listened to Kiyoko murmur, “There’ll be a mandatory manager’s meeting in the cafeteria during warmups. I don’t believe more than one manager from each team is needed, so Hitoka-chan can stay and help out.”

Sugawara nodded, “Got it. Anything else?” He turned his head to find Daichi lifting their duffels and mouthing ‘inside.’ Sugawara flashed him a smile with a thumbs up before turning his attention back to Kiyoko.

“Just the usual,” Kiyoko smiled, “Let the boys know that lunch is at one.” She pushed up her glasses, “I’m off to the meeting, tell Hitoka-chan for me. Walk with me?”

Sugawara glanced around. It looked like everyone had already headed inside. He smiled at Kiyoko and together, the two of them headed inside to follow the team before splitting up in front of the cafeteria. While Kiyoko was off to the meeting, as Team Omega, Sugawara would have to help Yachi shoulder the burdens of being a manager.

Sugawara continued his way to their sleeping quarters, where Yachi most likely was. Plus, he could just follow the faint scent of sugared almonds. It seemed like the team had already made their way to the gym. And he was indeed right.

Sugawara wasn’t surprised at how pale Yachi was and how frantically she was tracing and swallowing the kanji for people. Taking small steps towards her, he let his scent fully envelop her before holding his arms out in an invitation.

Yachi snapped out of her daze, her shaken gaze slowly meeting Sugawara’s. The tenseness melted away from her small frame and she surged forward to hide her face in his warm embrace. Sugawara could feel her shivering dissipate and her breathing slowly calm. Nosing at her scent glands, he lightly scented her.

Yachi’s unique scent was a blend of brown sugar and almonds but when on a verge of an anxiety attack, it smelled closer to burnt sugar. It was no secret that Sugawara’s own scent was the most calming scents on the team. In no time, his own soft mint intertwining with her brown sugar and almonds.

When her scent no longer emitted that of an omega in distress, he quietly prompted, “What brought it on this time?” Sugawara leaned back to meet her tearful gaze - it was like looking into twin pools of melted chocolate.

Yachi’s voice trembled slightly, “S-So many tall and scary people yelling in one room b-but I tried ignoring it. T-then someone commented on h-how many omegas Karasuno had and I b-barely passed the gym b-before I let _it_ take over. It felt drowning and I couldn’t _breathe._ And I just feel so w-weak-” Her breathing sped up again and she nervously fiddled with her blonde strands, twisting, and tugging harshly on her side ponytail. _Twirl. Twist. Tighten. Tug. Locate another strand. Repeat._

Sugawara winced at the display before carefully untangling her fingers from her hair. “Hey, look at me. Deep breaths, in six and out eight.” He had to make sure her fingers stayed away from her own hair. But how? While Yachi struggled to control her breathing, Sugawara brought her hand to his heart, interlocking his fingers with her other hand. “That’s it, I’m here.”

Yachi stared at her own hand over Sugawara’s chest. As Sugawara took deep breaths with her, she felt the rise of his chest and the rhythmic pounding of his heart underneath her palm. As Sugawara continued rubbing circles into her other hand, she felt her breathing begin to steady. How long had it been since she was this close to another person?

Seeing her breathing begin to slow, Sugawara led her to the open window and murmured for her to look up. With his free hand, he began stroking Yachi’s hair. “You know, I find those on the court terrifying and way too tall for my liking.”

Smiling wryly, Sugawara continued, “On the court, I’m small and there are some days where I want nothing more than to listen to the voices in my head.” Taking his gaze off the blue expanse, Sugawara firmly stated, “But we have not lost, despite what people say about how many omegas we have on the team. We are not defined by our second gender. We all have our monsters.”

“I brought you to the window for a reason. If there are bad days, I look up and I often find that sky can help. There’s something grounding about the sky. Plus, the team, especially our omegas, have proven that we are stronger together. It’s okay if you’re not strong by yourself.” Sugawara chuckles, leaning back to face Yachi. “We’re all such an interesting bunch, no?”

There’s an awkward pause when Sugawara realized. “Oh no, I didn’t mean to ramble. Takeda-sensei’s poetry must’ve rubbed off on me.” He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck.

Yachi quickly grabs his other hand, “No, no you didn’t! I was just taking your words in.” She frantically waved her other hand around, a determined light beginning to shine in her eyes. “Everyone’s so strong in their own way. I can’t just slack off.”

Sugawara frowned and opened his mouth, slacking off was the last thing Yachi would do. With a hint of forced cheer in her voice, Yachi interrupted, “I think I’m alright now Sugawara-san. Is there anything that needs to get done?”

Sugawara peers closely at her, “Are you sure? I could let you sit this morning out if you need it to yourself.” At Yachi’s vehement shake of her head, Sugawara sighed, “Kiyoko is at a manager’s meeting and only one manager from each club has to attend. Therefore, she’s counting on you to have things run smoothly in her place. And while-”

He noted Yachi’s nervous blink, filing the thought into the back of his mind. “You know what, you can go out and buy the medical supplies we’re running low on. I’ll take the defibrillator to the gym. You can join us when everyone else is busy with volleyball.”

Yachi nods, side ponytail bobbing with the motion. “Thank you, Sugawara-san. It’s better that I have something to do, anyways.” She looked out through the open doorway, “But doesn’t Sugawara-san need to be at the gym by now?”

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Sugawara yelped once he glimpsed the time. He was beyond late to the introduction of teams. What would the other teams think if the Vice-Captain of Karasuno never appeared? Quickly pocketing his phone, he dropped to his knees to shoulder the strap of the bag. Rising to his feet with a small huff, Sugawara beckoned Yachi to follow him. “I’ll walk you out – you’ve got the list?”

Yachi nodded affirmatively, patting her mini backpack. They quickly made their way down the empty hall, stopping in front of the gym. Sugawara put his hand on the doorframe before hesitating, “Do you need me to come with you?”

Looking back, he should’ve realized something was off about Yachi. But at Yachi’s shake of her head, he shifted the strap of the shoulder bag and turned around. “Come find me when you’re back with the supplies,” he grinned, waving a hand so she would see. “And I’ll take care of this bad boy,” Sugawara patted the bag. Speaking of which, it was starting to get heavy. As he toed off his shoes and put on his volleyball shoes, he huffed at the strain of carrying the duffel. How did their managers manage to lug this around?

He didn’t notice how Yachi lingered at the doorway, staring distantly at his back. A particularly loud slam of a volleyball drew a small ‘ _eep_ ’ from the blonde and she hurriedly looked around before sliding the door closed behind her. Facing the unfamiliar surroundings, she exhaled before closing her eyes. Tilting her head up, she opened her eyes to the bright blue sky. That was familiar. Taking a deep breath, she held it until she felt brave enough to take a single step. Focusing on the path in front of her, one step at a time. Perhaps things would go smoothly today.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

Finding a convenience store that carried all the supplies needed was easy enough. Ignoring the amount of people crowding the shelves was harder. Going up to the cashier and paying for them was not as nerve-wracking as Yachi expected it to be. But walking out? Not so much.

Fumbling to zip her backpack after taking the bags from the cashier wasn’t a smart idea. Yachi forgot that her zipper had a tendency to get stuck at the most inopportune of times. She should’ve taken care of her backpack before she had her hands full. Sighing, she placed the plastic bags on the ground before shrugging off her backpack. Fiddling with the metal zipper, she heard a loud cough behind her. Yachi let out a small shriek, her hands coming to cover her own mouth.

It was an alpha – tall, menacing, and was that a smirk? “You’re holding up the entrance,” he sing-songed, his hands waving her away. “Now shoo, omegas are to be out of sight and out of mind.”

There were some yells of affirmation from the group of alphas further into the store and Yachi flinched. Those were the same people she was trying to ignore from the very beginning. The alpha only gave her one last smirk before he sniffed, turning away and sauntering over to his group of friends.

Trembling, Yachi could only look down at the floor. The tile in front of her had a jagged crack in the corner and she couldn’t help but think of how accurate it was for the situation. The longer she stared at it, the closer the tile seemed until it almost seemed to loom before her. A wolf whistle broke her out of the beginnings of another anxiety attack.

“Hey, little _omega_ – you moving anytime soon?” It was another alpha from the group.

Air. She needed air. The air inside seemed to press down on her and the scents of the alphas were overwhelming. She quickly put her backpack on and gathered all the plastic bags on the floor. But there was another problem. With her hands full of the plastic bags holding Karasuno’s essentials, Yachi didn’t have the hands to push the door open. Transferring most of the bags to her left, she tried to push the bar with her right side, but it wasn’t enough. She faintly heard snickers from the alphas hanging around the store. _Look, an omega. Look how weak she is. Look at how pitiful she looks._ She didn’t need to hear them to know what they were whispering amongst each other.

An alpha, the same one who entered before, broke away from his friends, who were sniggering at her attempts to open the door. He easily towered over her and Yachi shrunk back with a yelp. The pungent scent of ginko hung in the air and Yachi wrinkled her nose at the scent of the alpha. Holding back snickers, the alpha effortlessly pushed the door open, offering a way out. Blinking back tears, Yachi ducked out of the store, humiliation and embarrassment coloring her features.

Keeping her head down, she briskly walked until the school gates were in view, praying that no one else would notice. Schooling her own features, Yachi rubbed her face with the sleeve of her sweater. Hopefully, her face wasn’t too red. Lifting her eyes to the sky, the light fluffy clouds were a familiar sight and it grounded her. Yachi shouldered forward, finally reaching the doors of the volleyball gym. The squeak of the shoes against the wood floors and the slam of volleyballs against the floor greeted her when she slid the door open.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

After sending Yachi off to buy the supplies they were missing, Sugawara sighed, dropping the medical duffel on the floor. Quickly knotting the shoelaces of his volleyball shoes, Sugawara stood up and noticed that he’d already missed warmups. Wincing at his own lack of punctuality, he shouldered the medical bag and made his way to Coach Ukai.

Along the way, he dodged stray volleyballs while greeting all those who were taking their breaks. Once Sugawara was in front of Coach Ukai, he bowed. “I apologize for my lateness. Yachi and I were checking over our supplies. Kiyoko is at a mandatory manager’s meeting.” Straightening up, Sugawara patted the duffel. “I have first-aid on me.”

Coach Ukai nodded, gesturing to hand over the bag. While stowing the bag under the Karasuno’s bench, Coach Ukai spoke up. “Good thing you brought the bag. Shinzen’s coaches brought out their spare defibrillator from storage in case we didn’t bring ours.” He jerked his head up in the direction of the second level, where Sugawara saw the spare tucked in the corner.

It seemed dangerously close to the railing though. Sugawara frowned at the sight but was shaken out of his thoughts when Coach Ukai continued, “You didn’t miss much, Suga. It’s free practice for all teams this morning – just stretch and warm up properly before joining.”

Sugawara mock saluted, “Yes, Coach!”

Coach Ukai cracked a smile, patting Sugawara’s back. “Get going, we missed our setter. We can’t have Kageyama doing all the work now, can we?”

Jogging over to the side of the gym, Sugawara sat down and began stretching. In the background he heard, “Rolling thunder!” followed with the sound of a receive.

Snickering to himself, Sugawara didn’t notice Nishinoya bounding up to him until the scent of caramel reached his nose. “Sugawara-san!” Nishinoya called out, “Lemme help you stretch.”

“Thanks, Noya!” Sugawara grinned up at him before spreading his legs to a straddle position. He felt small hands firmly push down on his shoulders. Sugawara slid his hands forward, nose brushing the floor of the court and feeling the pleasant burn of the stretch.

Nishinoya laughed, a clear sound in Sugawara’s right ear. “Sugawara-san’s flexibility is pretty impressive. You don’t even need my help!” He removed his hands from Sugawara’s shoulders. “I want to be that bendy!”

Sugawara straightened up, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. “You’re plenty flexible yourself, Noya. And a stretching partner is always welcome.”

Nishinoya raised an eyebrow. “But I’m not that flexible to draw the attention of our captain over there, now am I.” He jerked his thumb to where Daichi was taking his water break on the other side of the gym.

Seeing Nishinoya pointing at him, Daichi quickly whipped around. Drinking from his bottle, Daichi prayed that the flush of his cheeks could be chalked up to overexertion.

Sugawara followed the direction of Nishinoya’s finger and tilted his head in confusion. “But he’s not paying attention to us?”

Nishinoya chortled. “Oh sure. But anyways,” he grinned, putting his hands on his hips, “Wanna join me for some receiving?”

The sweet scent of cream filled the air. Sugawara turned to face Kageyama, who had an uncharacteristically shy expression on his face. “Actually, could Sugawara-san give some advice on synchronization attacks?”

Sugawara’s eyes widened and Nishinoya chuckled, “What’s this? Kageyama asking Sugawara-san for help?” He made a shooing motion with his hands, “Don’t let me stop you guys, I’ll go bother Asahi-san!”

Nishinoya waved towards the ace, bounding away. “Asahi-san! I want to receive your serves!”

Asahi jumped back from where he was retrieving a ball. “Eh? Again?”

Kageyama gazed at the libero’s back. “Noya-san’s amazing,” he murmured. “I-I wish I was more like him.”

Sugawara smiled mischievously. “Negativity – begone!” Sugawara exclaimed, giving a light karate chop to the top of Kageyama’s head. “Noya is amazing, but you’re Kageyama. And I think Kageyama is amazing too.” Sugawara grinned widely, feeling his eyes crinkle at the corners.

Kageyama opened his mouth to respond, most likely to disagree with Sugawara, when he was cut off by the slam of a volleyball against the wall of the second level. The two of them turned to see where the sound came from.

It was Hinata on the court closest to where they were standing. Hinata pumped his hand in the air, bouncing excitedly while Tsukishima, from the other side of the net, let out a small ‘ _tch_ ’. The volleyball in question finally rolled to a stop next to the railing on the second level. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Hinata scored a wipe on Tsukishima’s block.

“Don’t mind, Tsukishima!” Sugawara and Kageyama called out in unison. They froze, not expecting the other person to speak up.

“No fair, Bakayama! How come Stingyshima gets support from you when I was the one who scored? I didn’t even mess up that badly this time.” Hinata complained, wiping sweat from his forehead.

“Cuz a dumbass like you always messes up at something! You hit the ball to anywhere but the court!” Kageyama shot back, bristling from being called out.

“And dumbasses have to retrieve the ball they hit.” Tsukishima snarked, effortlessly picking up on Kageyama’s insults. But the omegas knew what he was thinking. Tsukishima just didn’t want to retrieve the ball himself.

Sugawara giggled at Hinata’s pout, hiding his smile behind his hand. Being doubled up on by both Tsukishima and Kageyama was probably off-putting.

Hinata huffed, stomping over to the ladder leading to the second level. “One day, Bakayama, I’ll won’t be a dumbass anymore. And I’ll make you and Stingyshima eat your words.”

“You know, getting our names right would probably be the first step,” Tsukishima mildly interjected.

“And a dumbass is always a dumbass, dumbass!” Kageyama narrowed his eyes at Hinata.

At this point, Sugawara couldn’t hold back his laughter. He laughed out loud, clutching his sides. “Nice kill, Kageyama, Tsukishima!” From across the gym, the door slid open. Upon seeing Yachi, Sugawara waved to get her attention, gesturing for her to come over. He watched her look around until her eyes finally landed on him. Grinning, he waved her over.

The blonde manager held up the convenience store bags, signaling that she bought all their essentials. Yachi paused for a moment before she set down the plastic bags by the entrance. She slid the straps of her backpack off before making her way towards Sugawara. Yachi stayed close to the walls of the gym, weaving around stray balls and water bottles. She didn’t look close enough and knocked over a water bottle.

Sugawara giggled at how adorable her fussing was as she bent down to pick it up. He watched her bow frantically at the fallen water bottle. He opened his mouth to say a joke when Hinata finally made his way to the volleyball above.

From the second level, Hinata’s voice called out. “Got it!” He snatched the volleyball from where it had rolled to a stop and incidentally jostled the defibrillator. Like a slow-motion film, Sugawara could only watch in horror as it slipped through the bars of the railing, falling towards the unsuspecting omega.

“Yachi! Look out!” Nishinoya’s panicked voice rang out from the other side of the gym.

Yachi frantically looked around, expecting a stray volleyball. But she didn’t look up, unaware of the danger hurtling towards her.

What happened next, Sugawara chalked up to his inner omega taking over. His sense of time slowed, and he became hyperaware of all his omegas. Nishinoya, on a separate court, was starting to dash forward, but Sugawara knew he was too far away to make it in time. Kageyama, who was frozen in surprise besides Sugawara, was starting to realize the gravity of the situation. Tsukishima, who was the closest to Yachi, was reaching out towards her.

Sugawara knew Tsukishima would reach Yachi in time – but not in time to get out of the path of the falling object. Sugawara’s blood ran cold. Tsukishima seemed to realize that as well, judging by how he tucked Yachi into a protective hug and braced for impact. But the pain never came.

Never in his life had Sugawara moved so quickly. One second, he was besides Kageyama. But the next second, he stood protectively over the two blonde omegas. Blood roaring in his ears and adrenaline running through his veins, Sugawara stifled a pained gasp when the corner of the defibrillator knocked into his left shoulder. He sunk to his knees, right hand clutching at his shoulder.

By now, everyone was made aware of the situation. A stunned silence spread across the gym and everyone was frozen in place. There was a series of footfalls and Kageyama was instantly at his side. He crouched next to Sugawara, hands hovering over Sugawara’s injured shoulder. Sugawara waved him off, biting back a yelp at the pain it brought. “Help me up,” Sugawara whispered. With Kageyama supporting him, Sugawara staggered to his feet. He was met with the sight of Tsukishima and Yachi looking at him with twin gazes of surprise.

Nishinoya skidded to a stop besides the two, frantically checking them over for any injuries. This shook Tsukishima out of his stupor, and he shielded Yachi, glaring at the rest of the gym. “Shouldn’t you be focusing on other things?” _We need some privacy_ was the sentence left unsaid but everyone heard it loud and clear.

Daichi clapped his hands, drawing all the attention towards him. “Alright! I’m sure they’re fine. Everyone back to practice.” He shot Sugawara a concerned glance afterwards, but Sugawara had already turned around.

What Sugawara was worried about the most was how quiet Yachi suddenly was. She hadn’t made a single peep since Tsukishima dived for her. He took a closer look at her and- Oh no. Her almond eyes were dilated, unseeing, and her chest heaved with every shallow breath. Sugawara’s scent spiked in his fear, drawing the attention of the other three omegas. They followed his gaze and almost immediately, their gazes darkened. They all knew what this meant. Yachi was already dropping.

They had to move her outside, where she’d feel safer. Tsukishima immediately scooped her up, golden eyes shining with concern. Nishinoya quietly cursed, running ahead and sliding the gym doors open. Kageyama looked at Sugawara’s hand, which still clutched at his injured shoulder. Sugawara waved him off, following Tsukishima outside.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

“Lean her against you, Tsukishima.”

“We can curl up around her.”

“Is our scenting working?”

“C’mon, come back to us, Yachi.”

Yachi’s sense of hearing came back first. Then she felt gentle fingers carding through her hair, the slight tickle of someone’s hair brushing her neck, and fingers tracing her own. Her eyes cleared up and the first thing she saw was the familiar sight of the clear sky.

“How are you feeling, Yachi?” Sugawara gently asked, careful not to startle her.

A slight breeze blew, carrying with it the scent of cherry blossoms and something comforting. Not registering anything, Yachi nuzzled into the strawberry scented softness she never wanted to leave.

A chuckle from the person she was leaning against. Tsukishima-kun? She looked up to meet his gaze, his eyes glowing with unconcealed mirth. The person scenting her pulled back, a scent of cream following him. Kageyama-kun? She looked to the other side of her, realizing a person still had his fingers carding through her hair. Nishinoya-san? The libero grinned at her but didn’t stop stroking her hair. Yachi turned her attention to the person tracing her hands. Sugawara-san? He met her gaze and asked her again, “How are you feeling, Yachi?”

Yachi realized what the comforting scent was. It was a combination of all their individual scents. It smelled like home, like safety and contentment. It smelled like mint, strawberries, cream, caramel, and almonds, but also unlike all those at the same time. Those scents on their own wouldn’t usually belong together, but this scent of happiness did.

“I’m feeling ok now.” Yachi smiled, “It was a long day.”

“But it’s not even lunch-time yet?” Kageyama asked, tilting his head.

“Baka,” Tsukishima chided, “She didn’t mean it that way.”

Yachi giggled, covering her smile with her sleeve. “Don’t worry, I was just anxious the entire morning and some things made it worse.”

The fingers carded through her hair stopped. “What things?” Nishinoya asked, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Sugawara reached over to bonk his head, wincing at how it jostled his shoulder. “Now’s not the time, Noya,” he whispered urgently.

Yachi’s caught the way Sugawara winced and her eyes widened. “Sugawara-san! Your shoulder!” She wilted, “You hurt yourself shielding Tsukishima-kun and I, didn’t you?”

Sugawara hesitantly nodded, watching how Yachi’s lower lip began to tremble. Nishinoya waved his hands, drawing the attention to himself. “Yachi! Don’t cry! Any of us would’ve done the same for you!”

Tears began running down her face, “I-I’m so sorry,” Yachi wailed. “If only I noticed earlier. Then Suga-san wouldn’t have been hurt!”

Tsukishima’s arms tightened around her and Kageyama wiped the tears off her face with the edge of his sleeve. Nishinoya grabbed her hands, which were already going towards her hair. But it was ultimately Sugawara who spoke up.

“What’s done is done.” Sugawara smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners. “But just know that all of us are glad you’re not hurt.”

“And this is none of your fault – you can’t apologize for something out of your control.” Nishinoya added.

“After all, us omegas look after each other, no matter what.” The four of them chorused. Sugawara couldn’t even find it in himself to be surprised anymore. He sighed, slowly rising to his feet while clutching his shoulder. “How about we get off the ground? We’re still right outside the gym.”

Yachi looked around before yelping. “Tsukishima-kun! Your back!” She quickly got to her feet, noticing how Tsukishima’s back was awkwardly bent to accommodate her size. Kageyama straightened up, wordless offering a hand to Tsukishima. Tsukishima took his hand, rising to his feet. There were several audible pops and even Nishinoya winced. Sugawara winced – sounds like Nishinoya just found his new stretching partner.

Bonus:

When Yachi confessed towards the end of the training camp that the convenience store was where she bumped into some alphas, Tanaka had immediately rolled up his sleeves, yelling about how some ‘shitty boys’ needed to be introduced to his fists. Nishinoya quickly followed suit, eyes glinting dangerously. Thankfully, they were dragged back by the collars of their shirts. Daichi’s authority as Head Alpha coming through. Sugawara sighed from his seat on the bus, watching as Daichi dragged the two into the bus.

Once everyone was situated on the bus, Daichi clapped his hands. “Everyone!” Daichi called out. “This training camp was successful and I can see how much we grew in a matter of three days. It’ll be a long drive back home – so rest up!” The team chorused back, “Hai!”

Daichi sat back down, and soon after, the bus began rumbling along. “Suga,” Daichi murmured, drawing a sleepy hum from the omega. “No one else got hurt this training camp.” He glanced at how Sugawara’s left shoulder was wrapped. “But what were your words? ‘ _If any of you guys manage to injure or overwork yourselves, you’ll wish it was the Head Alpha you’re answering to_.’”

Sugawara glared at him half-heartedly. “I’m just glad it was only me.” His gaze flickered to his wrapped shoulder. “Plus, it was an accident. It wasn’t on purpose.” He yawned, leaning back into his seat. “But ’m tired.”

Daichi reached over, avoiding the Sugawara’s injured shoulder, and lightly guided the omega until his head was leaning on his shoulder. “Then sleep, we’ve got a long journey ahead of us.” He glanced at the silver-haired setter, who was already dozing off on his shoulder. He brushed a strand of hair that was falling into his eyes and smiled, settling into his seat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Shimizu Kiyoko's chapter!
> 
> By the way, PSAL requires that all teams carry a defibrillator on away games. I remember carrying it up five floors on an away game and I was WIPED. It's super heavy and it would certainly injure anyone if it came falling down. 
> 
> Also, it's my headcanon that Suga is SUPER flexible and that Tsukishima is the omega squad's designated cuddler, even if his back suffers in the end. 
> 
> This fic isn't SugaDai-centric but I did sprinkle more interactions between them in this chapter.
> 
> Talk to me in the comments!


	5. Shimizu Kiyoko - Sea Salt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga’s blood ran cold and he froze, cup lowered halfway. “What did you just say?” He prayed he’d only misheard and that it was only a misunderstanding.
> 
> Kuroo blinked in confusion. “Oh, I said ‘this time’ because last year-”
> 
> Suga interrupted, firmly placing the cup on the table. “No, what you said before. What’s in the fruit punch?” Alarm bells were ringing in his head.
> 
> Yaku answered for the middle blocker. “Pineapple and mango.” His gaze was steady yet concerned. “You don’t like it?” Then it dawned on Suga. Mangoes. Oh no.
> 
> Akaashi craned his neck to look around. “I’m sure there’s chilled water if you want that instead.”
> 
> No. No, no, no. He remembered skimming Kiyoko’s medical form, not paying as much attention to it as the forms of other members of Karasuno. But he should have. Suga let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding in. “Kiyoko,” he breathed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was busy sobbing about FMA Brotherhood (after rewatching it - first time with my parents though) and was scrolling through Pinterest when I found a birthday post for Suga's bday 2020. So I scrambled to post this chapter in time. As you can see, that ain't the case. Whoops.
> 
> Anyways, this chapter was birthed because there's a criminal lack of interaction between the managers and that needs to be fixed. I suggest looking up the managers' information from the training camp. Also, I'm weak for interactions between team moms. Enjoy!

It was amazing how the mention of a barbeque fired the team up. Sugawara recalled how excited Karasuno’s mood makers were – and he didn’t miss how Kageyama did his own little happy dance. He giggled to himself, glad that Kageyama was slowly warming up the team.

He was broken out of his reverie by the approaching sounds of omegas from the other teams. Sugawara decided that he had soaked in the bath long enough. He lifted himself out of the water, grabbing a towel to tie around his waist before heading towards the lockers in the bathhouse. Pulling on his shorts, Sugawara shook the wet hair from his eyes and glanced up at the clock. There was about an hour before the barbeque started. He looked back out to the baths. He was glad Shinzen had baths specifically for omegas – that’s what all Tokyo schools must be like.

There weren’t many male omegas on the training camp, but it seemed that all of them were present in the bathhouse. There were about nine of them. From Nekoma, Yaku was already pulling himself out of the bath, Kenma was soaking in the warm water with his eyes closed, and Shibayama was methodically washing his hair in a private stall. From Fukurodani, Akaashi was rubbing his neck in the bath while conversing with Konoha, who was stretching his arms in the water. Nishinoya was engaged in an animated conversation with Kageyama, no doubt about their last victory, and judging from Tsukishima’s irritated expression, it was in a language that only volleyball nerds would understand.

Sugawara giggled before turning to gaze at the clean practice shirt in his arms. He quickly pulled his shirt on, head popping out from beneath his collar and wet hair falling into his eyes. Sneezing a couple times, Sugawara belatedly realized he probably should’ve dried his hair before exiting the bath.

“Tch,” Sugawara heard behind him. “Sit down, I’ll dry your hair for you.” The scent of cinnamon drifted through the air to mingle with Sugawara’s own minty scent.

“Yaku-san?” Sugawara asked, turning around. The said omega stood behind him, hands on his hips with a towel slung over his shoulder. He must’ve finished his bath early too.

Yaku lightly pushed Sugawara down to sit on the bench. “What did I tell you about the honorifics? Drop them, we’re the same age.” He reached for Sugawara’s own towel. “Just Yaku, or you can call me Mori.”

Sugawara settled down on the bench, back facing Yaku. “Ya- Mori,” he tested the waters, the nickname sliding off the tongue. “Thank you.” The towel ruffled through Sugawara’s hair and he hummed in contentment. Yaku was gentle and his careful fingers combed through Sugawara’s hair. Sugawara closed his eyes in bliss – it was a while since someone dried his hair for him. He hesitated before whispering lowly, “You can call me by my first name too.”

Yaku hummed thoughtfully. “Then Koushi, you planning to help with the preparations?”

Sugawara opened one eye and saw Akaashi approaching from the corner of his eye. “Actually yeah, was thinking of helping my team’s managers. You?”

“Yeah, was thinking of having the team rest. Thought that I should help since Nekoma doesn’t have managers helping out. It’s only fair.”

Footsteps approached and Akaashi came into full view with his hair fluffed up. Sugawara bit back a smile – seems like everyone else dries their hair before leaving the bath. Akaashi jumped into the conversation. “I can’t say the same about Fukurodani. I’m worried about Yukie, our manager, eating everything before the barbeque starts, but I also plan on joining.” He inclined his head towards the two of them in acknowledgement. “Yaku-san. Sugawara-san.”

Sugawara waved his hands, “Just call me Suga, drop the -san.” He grinned, “Sugawara-san sounds like my father and I’m not that old yet.”

Yaku bumped Sugawara’s shoulder with his own hip, snickering. “Now who’s the one refusing the honorifics?” Turning his attention to Akaashi, he inclined his head. “Drop the honorifics with me, just call me Yaku.” Slipping the towel off Sugawara’s hair, he ran his fingers through the strands, deemed it dry enough, and patted Sugawara’s shoulder. “All done.”

But Sugawara’s attention was elsewhere. He watched Akaashi pull his own shirt on and noticed how the setter winced, massaging his neck. Yaku picked up on Sugawara’s silence and followed his gaze. When the situation registered, the both of them winced sympathetically.

Yaku flicked his towel to rest over his shoulder. “Akaashi, I don’t have any patches on me right now,” he stated, stepping towards the second year. “But I can help.” Yaku’s fingers hovered hesitantly over where Akaashi’s scent glands were located. “If you don’t mind?”

Sugawara perked up, recalling that he had extra scent patches in his shower bag. “I have extra patches if you need them.”

Akaashi observed the both of them with an impassive expression before nodding gratefully. “Please.”

Yaku guided Akaashi’s shoulders to get him to sit. Once Akaashi was comfortable, Yaku placed cool fingers on Akaashi’s scent glands, making Akaashi jolt slightly. “Relax,” the libero reassured, “I’ll rub your scent glands – they’re swollen and need to be taken care of.”

Off to the side, Sugawara paused in rummaging through his bag in favor of watching the two omegas. Yaku was massaging Akaashi’s scent glands while Akaashi leaned back on him, eyes closed and purring quietly. Sugawara observed how Yaku’s fingers drew small circles on Akaashi’s neck – that would be something he should learn from him. Sugawara’s fingers brushed against the small packets of scent patches within his bag. He drew them out, counting the total number he had. Four should be enough. Rising to his feet, Sugawara made his way over.

The air smelled heavily of honey as a result of the massage. From where he was, Sugawara could see the tension leaking from Akaashi’s shoulders and the scent glands seemed less irritated.

“… learned this ‘cuz Kenma gets like this sometimes – you second years need to learn to ask for help when it gets like this. Your scent glands were inflamed because you held back your scent on the court for too long. Did no one help?” Sugawara only caught the tail end of Yaku’s lecture.

“Ah, this training camp was hectic and Bokuto-san needed me for his spikes.” Akaashi murmured, looking away.

Yaku pressed on, “And?”

“And I ignored my own needs.” Akaashi whispered, avoiding their gazes.

Yaku didn’t seem all too satisfied with his answer so Sugawara took it as a sign to jump in. “Regardless, Akaashi, you should go to any omegas on your team for help. If they’re busy, come find us.” He hummed thoughtfully, “But if they refuse to, also come find us. We’ll do some _convincing_ on our end.” Yaku nodded from besides Sugawara, sporting a mischievous grin.

Akaashi cracked a smile, “I’m sure that isn’t necessary. But there’s only one other omega on my team. And that makes it difficult to ask when he’s older.”

Yaku harbored a guess, “Konoha?” At Sugawara’s inquisitive glance, Yaku elaborated. “Fukurodani’s #7 – wing spiker. The ‘jack-of-all-trades’.”

Sugawara let out a ‘ah’ of understanding. “So it’s easier to ask us compared to asking Konoha-san, hm?” He unpeeled a scent patch from its packaging and gestured to Akaashi’s neck. “May I?”

Akaashi inclined his head to bare his neck and Sugawara wordlessly placed it on, smoothing the edges of the patch. He pushed the remaining three scent patches into Akaashi’s hands. “They’re yours, keep it.” When Akaashi opened his mouth to refuse, Sugawara waved him off. “I have plenty in my other bag at the dorms.”

Akaashi touched where the scent patch covered his neck and looked at the unused patches in his hand. “This…smells like Suga-san?”

“Yeah, I usually get the mint scented patches. I don’t buy the typical unscented ones ‘cuz they’re-” Sugawara blushed, finally realizing the implications of the situation. He’d basically claimed Fukurodani’s own omega as one of his own. Not to mention, the omega in question was Fukurodani’s own Head Omega. The patches that smelled of mint and by extension, smelled of Sugawara himself. Sugawara hid his face behind his hands. “I didn’t mean it like that, I’m so sorry! You don’t have to keep those patches – I practically forced those on you, oh my god-”

Akaashi quickly pocketed the extra patches and gently pulled Sugawara’s hands from his face. “It’s okay, Suga-san. I-” He looked away with a small blush. “I don’t really mind. It’s nice to have someone look after me.”

Yaku chuckled from the side, “We’re all guilty of that.” He wiggled his fingers, “My fingers now smell like honey and I’m sure Sugawara’s hair smells of cinnamon now.” He coughed in embarrassment. “What we just did seems intimate to me.”

Sugawara quickly touched his hair at the mention of it and smiled. “Well there’s no hiding it, I guess.”

Akaashi cleared his throat, expression as impassive as ever, if not for the slight blush that remained. “Right. So the barbeque?” He glanced up at the clock. “We have about forty-five minutes left.”

As they made their way down the hall, Yaku elbowed Sugawara. “Say, what brand of scent patches do you buy? Just wanna know for, you know, _research_ purposes.” Sugawara buried his face in his hands again while Akaashi chuckled quietly next to him. As Sugawara sped up his steps, Akaashi slipped a scent patch into Yaku’s waiting hands.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Sugawara had just finished up organizing the plates, cups, and utensils with Kiyoko and Yachi when he began to see people trickling outside for the barbeque. It was still early though – about ten more minutes until it began. Seeing that his help was no longer needed, Sugawara gestured to the onigiri table. Kiyoko gave a small smile with a thumbs up before turning to Yachi, who was busy muttering something about the wind blowing all the paper plates and cups away. Chuckling, Sugawara turned away to head to the sink.

After washing his hands, Sugawara went over to the onigiri table, where Yaku already was. He bumped their hips in lieu of an introduction. Yaku looked up and they grinned at each other. Scooping up a sizable amount of sushi rice, Yaku plopped it into Sugawara’s hands.

“Long time no see, Mori,” Sugawara smiled wryly.

Yaku snorted, “Ditto, Koushi.”

It didn’t take long for the two to begin their friendly banter. Sugawara listened to Yaku’s dramatic argument of the superiority of spicy curry, nodding his agreement and jumping in to add on. Spicy food was their lifeblood and together they snickered at stories of team members who couldn’t handle the heat.

Minutes later, Akaashi came up to them, hands slightly wet from washing his hands in the sink. Sugawara and Yaku were all too happy to show Akaashi some tips in shaping onigiri, casually bumping hips every so often. Akaashi wasn’t a talker, but he jumped into the conversation whenever he had something to add. He was expressive, not in facial expression like Bokuto, but the gleam of his eyes was more than enough. Sugawara bumped hips with him, grinning at all of their height differences.

“Oho,” Kuroo came to a stop in front of their table. He took in their friendly hip bumping, the foreign patch of Akaashi’s neck, the fact that it wasn’t present before, and their mingled scents. “Oho, don’t tell me – I should be congratulating you guys on the successful adoption.”

Akaashi maintained a poker face but the slight blush dusting his face gave his thoughts away. Sugawara focused on everything but Kuroo, shaping the onigiri with greater effort. And Yaku flushed indignantly, slowly setting the onigiri he was shaping down. “If that’s all your useless alpha ass can say, then nothing’s stopping me from kicking you.” Sugawara and Akaashi side-eyed the libero and stiffened at the murderous aura Yaku was projecting.

Kuroo gasped in mock horror. “Me? A useless alpha? You wound me, Yaku-paisen.” He lifted a dramatic gaze to the sky. “I’ve always been a nice person.”

Yaku made a move as to lunge at Kuroo. Akaashi subtly nudged the plate of onigiri away from the table’s edge. Sugawara quickly finished shaping his own onigiri, seamlessly picking up Yaku’s incomplete onigiri to finish. The both of them exchanged glances, deciding to remain out of it.

“Relax, relax! I brought you guys some drinks!” Kuroo held up two paper cups in some semblance of surrender. That caught their attention. Since when did he have those in hand? “I’ll grab the third one after.” Kuroo placed the two cups down on the table, sliding them towards the three of them. He turned around, “Be right back,” and waved noncommittedly over one shoulder.

The three of them eyed each other, wordlessly offering each other the drinks. In the end, Akaashi cleared his throat. “Kuroo-san, what exactly are these drinks?”

“Hm?” Kuroo turned back around a few steps ahead, eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Got them from the managers.” He gestured towards the other side of the area. “It’s apparently homemade fruit punch. Hope it tastes good because they made a lot.”

Taking advantage of their lapse in attention, Sugawara pushed the two cups towards Akaashi and Yaku. When they looked at the cups, Sugawara waved their protests off. “I’ll get the third cup later, don’t worry.”

By then Kuroo had disappeared, presumably off to grab more fruit punch. Sugawara watched Yaku take a large gulp of the punch, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Yaku smacked his lips thoughtfully, “Kuroo’s right – it does taste homemade. Not in a bad way though.”

Akaashi took a tentative sip of his own, fingers gingerly curled around the cup. “It’s chilled. And it tastes more tropical than expected.”

“That’s because they nixed the idea of using the watermelons – they’re saving those for later.” Kuroo reappeared, two cups in hand. He handed one over to Sugawara. “This one’s for you.”

Sugawara nodded gratefully, following suit as Kuroo took a sip. The taste was certainly interesting. Raised eyebrows were certainly justified. Instead of the typical store-bought ‘juice from concentrate’ taste Sugawara expected, his tastebuds were met by mellower fruity tones. It was odd but Sugawara liked it.

Akaashi eyed the amount of sushi rice left. “Well, we’re almost done. We can all get refills together later.”

Kuroo lowered his own cup from his lips, swilling the contents around. “Huh, no watermelon to balance the pineapple and mango this time.

Sugawara’s blood ran cold and he froze, cup lowered halfway. “What did you just say?” He prayed he’d only misheard and that it was only a misunderstanding.

Kuroo blinked in confusion. “Oh, I said ‘this time’ because last year-”

Sugawara interrupted, firmly placing the cup on the table. “No, what you said before. What’s in the fruit punch?” Alarm bells were ringing in his head.

Yaku answered for the middle blocker. “Pineapple and mango.” His gaze was steady yet concerned. “You don’t like it?” Then it dawned on Sugawara. Mangoes. Oh no.

Akaashi craned his neck to look around. “I’m sure there’s chilled water if you want that instead.”

No. No, no, no. He remembered skimming Kiyoko’s medical form, not paying as much attention to it as the forms of other members of Karasuno. But he should have. Sugawara let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding in. “Kiyoko,” he breathed out.

Eyebrows furrowed, Kuroo looked like he was beginning to understand.

Sugawara pushed his cup further away from the edge of the table, eyes darting around. “I-I have to find Kiyoko.”

Yaku’s hand shot out to grip Sugawara’s wrist. “Koushi-”

But Kuroo’s voice broke through. “Is it serious?”

Sugawara met Kuroo’s gaze, which was half hidden under his fringe and gleaming with concern. Sugawara himself took a deep breath to calm himself. No use in panicking now. “No,” he was glad his voice didn’t waver, “But it could easily become serious.”

Yaku finally understood the situation. He released Sugawara’s wrist. “Go find her – I hope she didn’t drink it yet.”

Akaashi nodded, “We all do, don’t worry about the onigiri, we’ll finish it up.”

Sugawara smiled nervously at them before turning around. There were more people milling around, with the barbeque set to begin soon. As Sugawara made his way through the throng of players, he heard Akaashi clear his throat some ways behind him. “Suga-san! Wash your hands first!”

Sugawara glanced down at his hands, sticky with sushi rice and nori. He sighed, looked back up and grudgingly changed his course to face the sinks.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

_One hour prior…_

“One. Two. And lift!” Mako called from the other side of the table. Kiyoko lifted one side of the pull-out table with minimal effort. “We’re setting this table down there by the shade,” Mako inclined her head towards a grass area at the foot of the hill. “Just watch your step.”

Kiyoko nodded, keeping a close eye on the ground behind her as the two of them maneuvered the table. With Kiyoko walking backwards, she was the first of the two to step out into the sun. Squinting at the sudden source of light, her lapse in attention resulted in her stumbling back on a small pebble in the ground.

“Shimizu-san!” Mako called worriedly, craning her neck over to see what tripped her partner.

Kiyoko smiled, back, “My bad, there’s a pebble – avoid that.” After a few more steps, they finally set the table down in its designated area. “Everyone calls me Kiyoko, no need to be so formal, Outaki.” Kiyoko gave Mako a sideways glance as they walked over to the shaded area for a brief respite from the sun.

Mako grinned at her. “Then call me Mako! It’s weird when people call me Outaki – I just sound like my mother.” She fanned herself with one hand, flicking her brown hair out of her face.

Kiyoko slid the pink scrunchie off her right wrist and tilted her head back, gathering her hair into a high ponytail. At noon, the sun’s rays were strong and despite only being out for a couple of minutes, Kiyoko began to feel the sweat beading at her hairline.

Kiyoko glanced over at Mako, who was still fanning herself, and then down at the extra scrunchie on her left wrist before shrugging to herself. Sidling up to Mako, Kiyoko tapped her shoulder. “Mako-chan, you need to borrow my hair tie?” She held out the teal scrunchie, its shade of teal not unlike Aoba Jousai’s own school colors.

Mako accepted the scrunchie with a grateful smile. Their fingers brushed and when Mako pulled the teal scrunchie onto her wrist, she paused. Her eyes flickered between the borrowed scrunchie and Kiyoko’s neck. “You know,” Mako started off. “You’re like the ocean. Your scrunchie,” she gestured to her own wrist where it was, “Is the same color.” She then began pulling her own hair back from her face. “Your scrunchie reminds me of …” She struggled to find the right words, gaze directed to the sky. Finishing her low ponytail, she swept her hair over one shoulder. Kiyoko could catch the faint whiff of Mako’s scent, a hint of milk chocolate.

In the back of her mind, Kiyoko observed that Mako looked beautiful with that hairstyle. At first glance, she seemed somewhat plain, only clad in simple Shinzen practice gear. But she had her own beauty. Mako then let out a small ‘aha’ as she finally found the words she was searching for. “It smells like sea salt! But sweeter.”

No doubt that Mako was referring to Kiyoko’s scent. Clasping their hands together, Mako ignored Kiyoko’s look of surprise. “Plus, you’re gorgeous. A type of limitless, all-encompassing beauty. Like a calm ocean lapping at the shore.” She grinned, corners of her lips upturned, dropping their hands. “Let’s not keep the rest of them waiting. There’s plenty to do!” Mako turned in the direction of where they came from and began jogging.

But Kiyoko stayed rooted to her spot, slightly dumbfounded from the sudden compliment. She was like the ocean? Gorgeous? Calm? She self-consciously brushed an ankle over her other leg, letting out a small sigh of relief when her ankle only made contact with fabric. The layer of protection her black leggings provided stretched further than the flimsy excuse she provided the rest of the managers. Her leggings weren’t to prevent a tan like everyone believed. But the managers took in the excuse so easily, despite the burgeoning heat of summer. Kiyoko shook the train of thought off, jogging to follow Mako back into the building.

It continued to nag at Kiyoko, her own mind traveling to the image of the many scars that marred her legs. Gorgeous? Check. She relaxed her face to its normal impassive expression. Calm? Check. If she was the ocean like Mako had said, then the waves lapping at shore weren’t beautiful. Those same waves were desperately trying to distract viewers from the scars in the sand. But she was no ocean. Just as she was no beauty. Kiyoko finally reached the entrance of the building and took a step, letting the cool air of the air conditioning wash over her.

Thankfully, there was still a ton of work to do and it was enough to distract Kiyoko from her own thoughts. She was grouped with Yachi, tasked with carrying the watermelons to a table outside. The watermelons were cool to the touch, making her fingers and forearms tingle. The temperature difference between the sun’s rays and the watermelon’s rind was distracting. Judging from Yachi’s anxious expression, there was no doubt that she was starting to feel it as well. But Kiyoko welcomed the sensation with the early afternoon heat.

The both of them set the watermelons down next to the cutting boards, hands hovering hesitantly over the watermelons in the rare event of one rolling off. Yukie and Kaori, Fukurodani’s managers, were already at the table debating on how to use the watermelons. Eri and Mako carried coolers over to the table. Eri wiped off her sweat with the collar of her Ubugawa shirt while Mako stayed bent over the coolers.

Eri gestured back to the entrance. “We still have three more coolers inside.” Mako nodded besides her, pushing the coolers under the table.

Kaori frowned slightly, dropping down to peek into the coolers. Kiyoko only saw a flash of yellow before Kaori closed the lid. “We have a lot more fruit this year. What if we left the watermelons for later?”

“We still have more watermelons to carry.” Kiyoko brought up. She glanced at Yachi to prompt her to confirm it.

“Ah! Yes, we have two more inside!” Yachi waved frantically at the stares she received. Kiyoko smiled slightly. The blonde was communicating well with the other managers, she’d make a great manager in the future.

Yukie hummed thoughtfully. “Well we know one of the coolers is empty. Just place all the watermelons inside and save them for later. Bring it out here though.”

Kaori nodded, turning on her heel towards the building. “Let’s go, Yukie can inventory all the fruit.” She grinned playfully at her co-manager. “We’ll enjoy some air conditioning. Let’s grab everything in one trip!” Kaori pumped her fist in the air. “We can all be one-trip masters!”

Eri giggled, following suit. “Yeah!”

Out of her peripheral, Kiyoko caught Yukie rolling her eyes at Kaori. Hiding her smile, she followed the rest of the managers back inside. Once they were inside, they sighed at the temporary bliss of the air conditioning.

Snapping out of it, Kaori grabbed two bags of ice leaning on the wall. “These will be distributed across all the coolers.” Mako grabbed the other two bags of ice, twisting the tops of the bags around her wrists.

“Hitoka, Kiyoko.” Eri pointed to the lone cooler to the side. “It’s larger than the others and it’s empty. Just load the rest of the watermelons into those before bringing it out.” She hefted a cooler of her own. “I suggest carrying it out together.”

Kiyoko nodded while Yachi mock-saluted. Together, they rolled the watermelons into their arms and transferred them into the empty cooler. Yachi peered over into the cooler. “There should be enough space for the two watermelons outside.”

Kiyoko hummed in agreement, sliding the cover of the cooler on. “One, two, three.” The two of them straightened up at the same time. This time, it was Yachi who was backing up. Thankfully, the doors were left open for them. As they passed through the doors, Kiyoko used her foot to push them closed. The less air conditioning that was wasted, the better. In no time, they caught up with the rest of the managers.

“Kaori,” Mako asked, “What do we have for this year?” She jerked a thumb over to the coolers. “I didn’t get to look into them.”

Kaori giggled, “What stopped you? Was Eri a slave driver?”

Mako hummed, “Well-”

“Guys, I’m right here.” Eri pouted, her twin ponytails bobbing with every step.

Kaori grinned. “My bad, my bad. But this year we got more-”

Kiyoko didn’t hear the rest of the sentence because Yachi tripped over a pebble. Kiyoko stopped walking, peering over at her. “Hitoka-chan, you alright? I forgot to warn you – I tripped on the same pebble before.”

Yachi sputtered, “Yes! No! It’s good!”

Raising an eyebrow, Kiyoko murmured to herself. “Which one is it?”

They made it to the table without any more mishaps. Eri directed the two of them to set the cooler down by the side of the table, pushing her own cooler under the table. Yukie gestured for them to open the cooler, clipboard in hand. “Alright, we have four watermelons this year.” Yachi passed the watermelons to Kiyoko, who in turn, placed them into the cooler

Kaori sidled up to them, opened ice bag in hand. “Well that’s the same as last year. But this year, we have Karasuno here. Would it be enough?” She started pouring the ice into the cooler.

Kiyoko shrugged, “If there isn’t, Karasuno isn’t picky.”

Mako snickered, positioning herself on the opposite side of the cooler, another ice bag in hand. “Like your namesake?” She added to the ice piling up in the cooler.

“Exactly like that!” Yachi jumping in, eyes sparkling. “We’re extremely grateful to be invited here in the first place!” The rest of them ‘awwwed’ at her behavior.

Yukie patted Yachi’s head, “And this little bird should stay in Tokyo, we’ll miss you.” Yachi blushed and Kiyoko would vehemently deny what came after. After all, she would never pout.

Pouting, Kiyoko raised a hand as if she were back in a classroom. “But who would keep me company?”

Yachi clasped her hand, “Don’t worry, you have me!” She was so close that Kiyoko could smell the hints of brown sugar and almonds that made up her scent.

Snickering, the rest of the managers gave Yachi and Kiyoko pointed looks. “Anyways,” Yukie tapped her clipboard with a pen. “We need to take care of the plates, cups, and utensils. Is the rice done?”

Eri snapped to attention. “Aye, ma’am! The rice is ready!”

Yukie cracked a smile. “At ease, soldier.”

Eri grinned back with hands behind her back, imitating a soldier’s stance. “I’ll get the rice out. I’ll leave the sushi rice for later.”

“Hitoka-chan and I will take care of the plates, cups, and utensils,” Kiyoko spoke up. “It’s supposed to be set near the entrance?”

Kaori nodded, jerking a thumb in the direction of the outdoor sinks. “Make sure you wash your hands first. I left soap on the alcove.”

Yukie tapped her clipboard again. “So that leaves Mako, Kaori, and I for the drinks. We should be able to get it done. If you finish your own tasks, either take care of what needs to be done or come back to me.” She clicked her pen, a twinkle in her eyes. “Dismissed.”

The five of them followed Eri’s example from before, snapping to attention. “Aye, ma’am!”

Yukie turned around, setting her clipboard down on the table. “Mako, could you grab the juicer? It’s the battery-powered one we brought.” She knelt on the ground, pulling out a cooler to double check its contents.

Mako nodded, already on her way to the sinks and the rest of them followed suit. Faucets were turned on and cold water met the dry metal of the sink. There were quiet murmurs and the single bar of soap was passed around for the all the managers to wash their hands.

Yukie joined them a few moments after and Kiyoko passed her the soap. The faucets were spaced out evenly but even so, their shoulders were constantly brushing against each other. When Kiyoko turned around to accept a towel from Yachi, her nose caught Yukie’s raspberry scent. All of them were omegas, Kiyoko mused. So of course, their scents were pleasing to the nose.

Kiyoko passed the towel to Kaori, brushing past her to catch up with Yachi. She was met with Kaori’s sweet honeysuckle scent and she smiled. It wasn’t a bad day after all. If anything, this was the most fun she’d had since becoming a manager. It was sometimes lonely but even with Yachi to keep her company nowadays, it didn’t replace her yearning for a friend group. Maybe, just maybe, if they were able to spend more time together, they would’ve been best of friends.

Eri was holding the doors for her. Kiyoko nodded her thanks, sighing at the cool relief the air conditioner brought. If she concentrated hard enough, she could smell Eri’s scent of sweet lime.

“Kiyoko-san! Do you know where they keep the plates?” Yachi waved her over to the pile of shopping bags on the floor. “I only found the chopsticks.” She knelt down to rummage in the bags.

Mako walked by, carrying the juicer. “I think they’re in the bags towards the back. Sorry guys, I didn’t take them out.”

Kiyoko waved her apologies aside, “No, it’s nothing. We’ll find it.” She opened a bag and found only skewers, most likely for kebabs. Kiyoko pushed the bag to the side.

Someone knelt beside her. “Perhaps I can help?”

In the back of her mind, Kiyoko wondered how sweet mint and cinnamon could smell so good together. Regardless, Kiyoko knew who it was.

“Sugawara-san!” Yachi called out in surprise. “Is the barbeque supposed to start already?” She gasped, “Oh no, are we really behind schedule?”

Sugawara grinned, waving a hand as to dispel her worries. “No, I just finished my bath early and wanted to help out. And I’m not alone.” Kiyoko decided not to comment on his scent.

From behind, she saw Akaashi holding the door open for Mako, whose arms were occupied by the juicer. And Yaku was carrying out the rice with Eri. Akaashi stayed back to continue holding the door for the both of them. Kiyoko was close enough to smell Yaku’s cinnamon scent mixed with honey and she noted the patch on Akaashi’s neck, most likely responsible for the combination of sweet mint and honey in his scent.

Sugawara pulled out a package of Oreos with a self-satisfied expression on his face. “Found it!” There were chuckles behind them, presumably from Yaku and Akaashi.

Kiyoko chortled, trying not to laugh at Sugawara’s expense. “We’re supposed to find the paper plates and cups, Suga.”

Sugawara gazed disappointedly at the Oreos in his hands. “Oh.” He shrugged it off, tucking the package right back into its bag. “Then I’ll be sure to grab some of these later.”

The next bag Kiyoko checked contained the heavy-duty trash bags and napkins. Those could be useful later on, so she left them out.

Yachi came back carrying containers for the chopsticks. Since when did she go? “Did you guys find the plates and cups?”

Kiyoko opened the bag in front of her to reveal the paper cups. “Just found the cups.”

Just further down, Sugawara pulled out the paper plates. “I have the plates!”

Yachi smiled. “Great! Now we can set them up.”

It was easy enough setting it up but then they realized the problem as soon as the breeze blew through. Sugawara groaned, watching the stack of cups wobble dangerously in the breeze. “I should’ve realized.”

Yachi let out a ‘eep’ and her hands hovered over the plates. “Please don’t blow away, please don’t blow away,” she chanted like a mantra.

Kiyoko kept an eye on the stack of cups and waved Sugawara away. “It’s okay, we’ll figure it out. I know there’s onigiri to be made. Yaku-san should be there since he went with Eri.” People were beginning to trickle in and if Kiyoko were to guess, she’d say there were about ten minutes left before the start of the barbeque. “Don’t forget to wash your hands.”

Sugawara nodded, turning around to head to the sink. “I’ll leave you to it. Call me over if you need me.”

Mako skipped over to Yachi just in time to keep a plate from flying away. “Wow, okay maybe we should’ve brought a paperweight.” She placed the plate into Yachi’s hand before turning to Kiyoko. “Kaori sent me to get the paper cups for the punch we made.”

Yachi perked up at the mention of a drink. “Is it cold?”

Mako flicked her gently on the forehead. “What do you think all those bags of ice and the coolers were for?”

Kiyoko gathered the stack of cups as Yachi slid the container of chopsticks over the stack of plates. Kiyoko hoped the weight was enough to prevent it from blowing away. Then she remembered that she forgot the napkins inside. She pushed the stacks of cups into Yachi’s and Mako’s hands, ignoring their looks of surprise. “I left the napkins inside – I’ll be right back.”

Mako nodded, “Come to the drinks table when you’re done. We’re taking a small break before the barbeque officially begins.”

Yachi smiled, “And we can try the punch before everyone else!” She bounced excitedly on her feet. “I can’t wait – it’s hot today.”

Kiyoko did agree with that. A cold drink would be nice. Turning on her heel, she walked towards the entrance, bypassing the doors to kneel at where she put the trash bags and napkins aside. Securing them under each arm, she grabbed a stapler on the way as an afterthought. The napkins would need a paperweight. She paused at the double doors, thinking of how to open them with her hands full.

“Need a hand?” Kuroo grinned from behind her. He placed a hand against the door in front, effortlessly pushing it open. “After you,” he bowed.

Kiyoko hid a smile. An alpha with a flair for the dramatic. Interesting. She stepped out, placing the napkins and the stapler on the table, while letting the box of garbage bags drop onto the floor.

Kuroo leaned down to pick it up. He examined the labels on the box. “Heavy-duty with maximum stretch.” Kuroo hummed with approval. He glanced at Kiyoko. “I could help with the distribution, just tell me where.”

Kiyoko narrowed her eyes in thought. She could faintly recall the diagram Kaori drew of the grounds. “I’ll take some. But one bag every two tables. Just tie them to the wall or the tables themselves.” She added as an afterthought. “When you’re done, you can grab drinks over there.” Kiyoko inclined her head towards the drinks table, where she could see the rest of the managers gathering. “I haven’t tried it yet, but I heard it’s good.”

Kuroo mock-saluted her. “Aye-aye Captain!”

Kiyoko turned away to hide her smile. What was the deal with Tokyo and their fixation on saluting? And the irony, the captain of Nekoma addressing her as captain, practically deferring to her. An alpha deferring to an omega. Not all alphas fit the stereotype. That was good to know.

Wiping her sweat, Kiyoko made her way to the drinks table. By now, more people were beginning to mill around, taking the opportunity to chat with friends outside of their own teams. Kiyoko dodged a stray elbow from a beta, who was gesturing wildly for the retelling of his nightmare.

“Hey! How dare you almost hit Karasuno’s goddess!” Nishinoya popped up from behind her, hands on his hips as he glared down at the beta. It was almost comical how the beta almost cowered before the libero. Nishinoya’s caramel scent radiated defensiveness and Kiyoko was almost touched.

She turned around to pat at the shorter omega’s shoulder. “Noya-kun,” she murmured, “It’s okay, his elbow missed me.”

Nishinoya visibly deflated but his eyes still retained some fight. “More like you dodged it – you could’ve been injured.”

Kiyoko kept her hand on his shoulder. Thank goodness it was only him around. If Tanaka or Yamamoto were around, placating the alphas would’ve only escalated into a fight. Nishinoya … could be reasoned with more easily. She squeezed his shoulder, “Don’t worry, it’s fine.”

Nishinoya’s shoulders slumped. “Fine.” He turned to the beta, bowing slightly. “I apologize for my behavior.” The beta bowed back warily. “But only because Kiyoko-san said to drop it. Next time!” Nishinoya brandished a finger at him. “Next time, I won’t be so lenient.”

Kiyoko sighed exasperatedly, shaking her head. Don’t ever change, Nishinoya. She saw out of her peripheral that Nishinoya already ducked into the crowd, presumably to find Tanaka. “Oi, Ryuu! Guess what? Kiyoko-san squeezed my shoulder!” He jumped in the air to make himself seen through the crowd. Turning away, Kiyoko continued on her way to the drinks table. She could faintly hear Tanaka’s ‘No way, Noya-san! You’re amazing!’

“I need a drink.” Kiyoko announced with a heavy tone as soon as she reached the table. She smiled – she sounded like those on television.

“Well the bar is open!” Eri giggled, handing a paper cup over. “Team shenanigans already?”

Kiyoko nodded, taking a sip. “That and they’re pretty excited for the food.” She glanced at the contents of the cup. “This tastes better than I thought.” It had an interesting twist to it. She downed the rest of her cup.

Mako popped up next to Eri, flashing a peace sign. “It’s ‘cuz it’s nice and cold.”

Eri patted the juicer next to her. “And thanks to this, we now have a ton. Roosterhead-kun took a few cups before.” She held out a hand for Kiyoko’s empty cup. “Want a refill?”

Kiyoko stifled her laughter with her hand. Roosterhead-kun was an accurate nickname. It looks like Kuroo took her advice and grabbed some drinks of his own, presumably to deliver them to Sugawara, Yaku, and Akaashi. She passed her cup over to Eri. “Please.”

As Eri poured her another cup, Mako waved Yachi over. “Hitoka-chan, you done with everything?”

Yachi smiled, sending her a thumbs up. “Yep, just coming back for another drink.” Kiyoko accepted the cup from Eri, raising it to her lips.

The coaches clapped to get their attention from the front of the building. “Everyone! Gather around! There are a few words to say before the barbeque officially begins!”

By now, everyone was out and about. There were a few cheers and everyone began making their way to the front. The managers met each other’s gazes before shrugging. Kiyoko drained her cup, placing it on the table. Yachi followed suit and Eri put the pitcher of punch down. Mako placed her hands on Yachi’s shoulders, gently steering her towards the crowd. All of them made it to the front, everyone moving aside to let them through.

Coach Nekomata was speaking but Kiyoko couldn’t focus. It was too hot, with the sun blazing down and the strange dryness of her mouth. She tugged at the collar of her shirt. She could already feel the flush on her cheeks and her lips felt hot.

The rest of the managers bowed and Kiyoko realized that the coaches were gesturing to them. She followed suit but was slow to straighten up. Kiyoko missed Yachi’s look of concern as she reached up to touch her lips. Her lips were itchy? Kiyoko’s eyes widened. It had been a while since her last allergic reaction. What did she have?

The crowd was beginning to disperse. The coaches must’ve finished talking. But Kiyoko’s mind was elsewhere. She tried to resist the urge to scratch at her mouth but her fingers moved on their own.

Kaori stretched with a smile on her face. “Man, it feels good to finally relax!” Eri and Mako high-fived each other.

Yukie grinned. “Let’s say we-”

But she was cut off by Yachi’s concerned call. “Kiyoko-san? You look flushed.”

Kiyoko’s mind was racing. What did she have today? For breakfast- No. If that were the case, then it wouldn’t be happening now. What did she just have? Oh. It was the-

Sugawara appeared before her, grabbing her wrist. “No, Shimizu! Don’t scratch at it!” His eyes were wide and she could see the panic reflected in his eyes. “You’ll make it worse.” Kiyoko brushed her fingers over her face and she realized that a rash was starting to form. “It was the punch – how much did you have?”

“Sugawara-san, what-” Mako ventured out but Sugawara cut her off, not unkindly.

“We need to go back inside, she’s having an allergic reaction.” Sugawara glanced at Yachi. “Can you find some water?”

Kiyoko could feel her face heat up from the mortification. Just her luck that she didn’t pay attention to the punch. She looked away from the managers, covering the bottom half of her face with a hand. She pushed the mounting wave of shame back and ignored the prickling behind her eyes.

Sugawara was still gripping her other wrist and he glanced at her concerned. “Let’s go,” he said, tugging her gently towards the entrance of the building. They passed by concerned team members and friends, of which she let Sugawara handle. Her mind flashed back to the scars her leggings covered and the awful rash she was sporting on her face. Once they were inside, she let the tears fall in earnest. It was a combination of mortification and shame of being seen like this by so many.

Sugawara glanced back at her, a sad expression on his face. But he said nothing, tugging her into the girl’s bathroom. It was empty, with everyone outside enjoying the barbeque. He made sure to close the main door and the whirring of the air conditioner was the only sounds she heard. She kept her gaze on the floor, ignoring the itch on her face.

Sugawara lightly gripped her chin, slowly lifting her face to meet his gaze. There was no judgement in eyes, only concern. His hand hovered hesitantly over the hand covering her mouth, a silent request. Kiyoko blinked, tears rolling silently down her face, and let him remove her hand.

There was a slight intake of breath from him and Sugawara finally spoke. “Shimizu, I-” His voice wavered. “If only I were faster in realizing.” His fingers brushed the tears away.

Kiyoko shook her head slightly. This happened under no fault but her own.

Sugawara led her to one of the sinks and Kiyoko pointedly ignored her own reflection. “Run your face under cold water. It should help.” He sighed, slumping against the wall. “It’s only temporary.”

Kiyoko brushed an ankle against her leg as she bent down at the sink. The feeling of thin fabric was slightly comforting. Only temporary, huh. That was true, unlike the scars on her legs. She shut the water off, deeming it long enough to keep the swelling at bay. When she straightened up, she caught a glimpse of her reflection and her breathing stuttered.

Sugawara placed his hands on her shoulders, swiveling her around to face him. Embracing her, he whispered, “Shhhh, don’t look in the mirror. This will pass.” He rubbed fingers over her shoulderblades as she trembled. As he scented her, Sugawara glanced at the mirror, musing at how small the two of them seemed. It was as if it were them against the world. He ignored how his shirt slowly became damp. It was simply because she didn’t dry her face after washing it.

Kiyoko threw her pride away when she wrapped her arms around Sugawara’s waist. She let the tears fall again as she buried her face into his chest. Sugawara had a warm embrace and she felt safe within his arms. His scent of mint was comforting, more so than ever. Mint and sea salt. An interesting combination of scents but it felt so right.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Sugawara’s sentence felt like a death blow to Yachi. ‘She’s having an allergic reaction.’ Sugawara had said. She watched as Sugawara and Kiyoko weaved through the crowd to go inside, conflicted on whether to follow or not.

Kaori smacked her own forehead in frustration. “Oh my god, we just ruined her day with a drink!”

“And we didn’t think to ask for food allergies this year…” Mako trailed off, fidgeting with her fingers.

Yukie turned to Eri, who previously manned the pitcher. “How much of the punch did she have?”

Eri frowned, deep in thought. “One- No wait, she had two full cups.”

A silence descended upon the managers and Yachi yelped, recalling Sugawara’s instructions. “Water! We need water for Kiyoko!” This sent the managers into a frenzy.

A hand landed on Yachi’s shoulder. “I overheard. Where’d Kiyoko-san go?” Nishinoya grinned at her, passing her a chilled bottle of water. Behind him, both Tanaka and Yamamoto were holding their own plates, laden with food.

Yachi willed her bottom lip to stop trembling. “She’s back inside.” She accepted the water bottle from Nishinoya. Tanaka and Yamamoto groaned in disappointment, already turning around. But Nishinoya stayed, eyes narrowing. Yachi continued, “She’s with Suga-san.”

Tanaka’s and Yamamoto’s grumbling eased up at the mention of Karasuno’s Head Omega but it had the opposite effect on Nishinoya. Just as she intended, Nishinoya picked up on the fact that something was wrong. He guided her to the side, waving the two alphas away with a grin.

Yukie tapped Yachi’s shoulder. “We’ll leave this to your pack.” She bowed slightly while the rest of the managers did so behind her. “Please tell Kiyoko that we’re sorry.” Yachi nodded but her mind was elsewhere. She couldn’t get the image of Kiyoko hiding her face out of her head.

Nishinoya gripped her shoulders. “What happened with Kiyoko-san and Suga-san?” His eyes searched her face with all seriousness.

“Kiyoko-san had an allergic reaction to the punch and Suga-san took her inside.” Yachi’s voice trembled. “She was covering her face and she looked close to crying.” She took a deep breath, grounding herself with the libero’s caramel scent. “Suga-san told me to find water for her.”

Nishinoya closed his eyes and exhaled. He opened his eyes and Yachi was struck by the determination shining through. “Alright then.” He patted her shoulder, nodding his head towards the water bottle he gave her. “Well I didn’t open that bottle yet so you can take that to Kiyoko-san. We’ll come to you guys later.”

Yachi nodded, gripping the water bottle. She weaved through the crowd, abandoning her fear of bumping into others. She slipped through the doors, shivering at the feeling of the air conditioning. Wait. What did Nishinoya-senpai mean by ‘we’ll come to you guys later’?

The train of thought was interrupted when Yachi scented the air, trying to follow where Sugawara and Kiyoko went. She picked up on the faint scents of mint, sea salt, and something saltier. Her blood ran cold at the realization that Kiyoko was crying. The scent trail led Yachi to the door of the girl’s bathroom. When Yachi raised a hand to knock, she hesitated when she heard Sugawara murmur, “Shhhh, don’t look in the mirror. This will pass.”

Yachi had an idea. She quietly set the water bottle down on the floor and turned in the direction of where the managers roomed. Speed-walking to her own bag, she dug through it, praying she brought it. She pulled out a fabric mask and sighed in relief. Yachi originally brought it in case the pollen was bad in Tokyo, but she never used it. She flipped the mask over. It was made of a lighter, smoother fabric, gray in color – the same shade as Kiyoko’s eyes, so it shouldn’t irritate the skin. It was perfect. She hoped it was enough.

Yachi made her way back to the bathroom, picking up the water bottle she’d left. Knocking on the door, she called out. “Suga-san? Kiyoko-san? I brought a water bottle.”

The door opened to reveal Sugawara. He smiled at her, “Good job.” He moved aside to let her in, closing the door behind them. Kiyoko was sitting cross-legged on the floor and managed a tiny smile.

Yachi’s heart skipped a beat when she noticed how swollen Kiyoko’s eyes were and how terrible the rash looked. But she said nothing and offered Kiyoko the bottle of water. Sugawara came up from behind Yachi and sat cross-legged on the floor. Yachi shrugged to herself before taking a seat besides Kiyoko. The silence that stretched out was somewhat comfortable. Only the humming of the air conditioning and the gulping of water was audible.

The silence was broken when Kiyoko lowered the bottle from her lips. “Thank you.” Somehow Yachi didn’t think she was thanking them for the water. “Thank you for not judging my appearance.” Ah. That’s what it was.

Sugawara opened his mouth. “We’re not as shallow as other omegas, to merely judge by appearance.” Yachi nodded her agreement. “Just know we would never judge you by appearance. And that goes for everyone in Karasuno.” He grinned, pointing to himself. “If anyone does, they’ll have _me_ to answer to.”

Kiyoko managed a small smile and Yachi hummed in agreement. “Kiyoko-san, we all have our own monsters and our own things to hide. It doesn’t have to be physical.” She lightly tapped Kiyoko’s leggings. “But we find our ways to deal with it.” Holding out the mask, she offered it to Kiyoko. “You can borrow my face mask. I didn’t use it yet.”

As Kiyoko reached out for the face mask, Sugawara grinned from behind her. “You know, those words seem _awfully_ familiar.” Yachi blushed in response.

Kiyoko finally slipped the mask on, fidgeting with the bridge of the mask to prevent fogging of her glasses. “How do I look?” _Is my rash showing_ went unsaid. Sugawara and Yachi both shook their heads.

“It looks good on you.” Sugawara said truthfully. “The color really matches your eyes.”

Yachi nodded. “It looks better on you than it did on me! You should keep it.” She decided not to mention the fact she bought it was only because its color reminded her of Kiyoko’s stormy eyes.

There was another knock on the door of the bathroom. “Room service,” Tsukishima’s voice droned. Sugawara raised an eyebrow, meeting gazes with the two managers before rising to his feet to open the door. He opened the door to reveal Tsukishima, Kageyama, and Nishinoya, all of which carried plates laden with food.

“Surprise?” Kageyama awkwardly asked.

Nishinoya nodded. “I heard what happened from Yachi and we brought food.”

Kiyoko blinked in surprise from her spot on the floor. “Let them in, Sugawara.”

Sugawara stifled a smile, “I was going to anyways.” He opened the door wider to let them pass through.

Nishinoya and Kageyama filed in but Tsukishima paused in the doorway. “This was all Nishinoya’s idea.” Sugawara couldn’t tell whether that was an accusation or a compliment. But he closed the door as soon as Tsukishima stepped in.

They quickly settled in, forming a loose circle on the floor around the plates of food. Kageyama separated the stack of empty plates from each other, passing it around the circle. Yachi helped pass out the chopsticks and gestured to the plastic bag around Nishinoya’s wrist. “What’s in there?”

“Hm?” Nishinoya glanced down at the bag. “Oh, I brought cups and some bottles of water – Kuroo-san helped me find all these bottles.” He slipped the bag off his wrist and opened it. He grinned. “I also brought some Oreos!” He waved the unopened package of Oreos around. “Yaku-san told me to bring it.” Sugawara blushed, thinking back to when Yaku laughed at him for picking out the Oreos.

Kageyama cleared his throat. “Akaashi-san told me to give this to you, Suga-san. He said it was for in case ‘Shimizu-san needs one’.” He held out an unopened scent patch.

Sugawara glanced at Kiyoko, silently asking for permission. When she nodded, Sugawara took the scent patch from Kageyama, peeled it back, and placed it over Kiyoko’s scent gland.

Tsukishima pushed the plate of onigiri forward. “Akaashi-san and Yaku-san also said to take this plate when we walked past.” He sighed before pushing another plate forward. “I don’t know where he got it, but Daichi-san gave us a plate of buns.” He gestured at the plate, splitting it in half. “One half are the pork buns he usually buys and the other half are the curry buns that some of us,” Tsukishima paused to glance pointedly at Sugawara in particular, “enjoy eating.”

Kageyama hummed thoughtfully, already grabbing an onigiri. “How’d he buy those? We’re in Tokyo, not in Miyagi.”

Tsukishima snorted, reaching for his chopsticks. “That’s what I’d like to know.”

Nishinoya grinned, grabbing a pork bun and a curry bun. “Does it matter? Food is food!” He bit into the pork bun first. “And food is good!” Then he bit into the curry bun. “Ah! Spicy!” He frantically looked around for a cup of water.

Yachi scrambled to pour Nishinoya a cup of water. She pushed the cup towards him and he immediately downed the cup. “Phew, man, that was _spicy._ ”

Sugawara made sure to maintain eye contact with Nishinoya as he plucked the curry bun from Nishinoya’s hand. He bit down and made a show of chewing and swallowing, a twinkle in his eyes.

Nishinoya pointed a finger. “You! I-I!” He struggled to contain his incredulity. “Us mortals are not worthy…” He slumped over. “None of us can compare.” Nishinoya sulked, taking a bite of his pork bun. Yachi giggled, reaching over for an onigiri.

Tsukishima waved his chopsticks, eyes on Kiyoko. “Kiyoko-san, are you not going to eat? There’s plenty of grilled meat.”

Sugawara paused in his eating. Oh. Right. The mask. He glanced over at Kiyoko. The other three hadn’t seen her yet.

Kiyoko took a deep breath, closing her eyes before pulling down the mask. There was a flash of sympathy across their faces but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Kiyoko opened her eyes and Yachi pushed a plate of food into her hands. “Eat, Kiyoko-san.”

Sugawara couldn’t be any more proud of how everyone handled the situation. They didn’t stare at her face, nor did they ignore it either. They accepted her appearance and didn’t judge.

Kiyoko blinked in surprise. “W-Why are you guys doing this for me?”

Tsukishima sniffed. “We’re not doing this for you.” Sugawara smirked, Tsukishima wasn’t fooling anyone. “I’m here because outside’s too crowded and loud. Plus, they dragged me along.”

Nishinoya grinned at her. “I’d rather be here than outside. It’s nice and cool in here.” He stretched out behind him, enjoying the cool air.

Kageyama solemnly nodded. “I like it here. The girl’s bathrooms don’t look too different from the guy’s bathrooms. But where are the urinals?” He looked around.

Sugawara slapped a hand to his own face, dragging it down. Nishinoya let out a loud cackle, slapping the ground. Tsukishima refused to acknowledge Kageyama’s presence, instead pushing up his glasses and picking up more meat. Yachi sputtered in surprise and Kiyoko threw her head back with a laugh.

Nishinoya shook his head, “Oh you poor innocent child. Let senpai teach you. Girls-”

Sugawara slapped a hand to Nishinoya’s mouth. “Noya, please.”

Kageyama only looked marginally confused. And Tsukishima spoke up. “Ignore Nishinoya-senpai, Kageyama. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”

Nishinoya licked Sugawara’s hand and Sugawara drew back in mock disgust. “Gross, Noya.” He wiped his hand on the back of Nishinoya’s shirt. Nishinoya had the audacity to shoot him a grin.

Nishinoya turned his observant gaze to Kiyoko. “Honestly, the moment Yachi told me what happened, I knew you weren’t going back outside.” He grinned. “So we brought the barbeque to you!”

Sugawara settled down. “But in all seriousness,” he held up a finger to interrupt Kiyoko’s protests. “We’re here because you needed us and it was more important for us to be here than it was to stay outside.”

Kiyoko nodded, touching the patch on her neck. “Then…” she bowed slightly. “Thank you for staying here with me.”

Yachi grinned at her, “It’s all good! This would be an interesting story to tell in the future.” She hummed thoughtfully, putting a hand to her chin. “It isn’t everyday that you see members of the boy’s volleyball club having a picnic on the floor of the girl’s bathroom.”

Kageyama opened the package of Oreos. “Oreos, anyone?” He pushed the package to the middle of the circle and Sugawara’s eyes almost seemed predatory in the afternoon light. No Oreos were spared that day. The omegas in Karasuno could attest to that.

Extra:

Sugawara was lightly shaken awake. He sleepily cracked an eye open at whoever was shaking him awake. “Hm?”

Daichi grinned, slight dimples forming on his cheeks. “Get up, sleeping beauty. We’re home.”

Rubbing his eyes, Sugawara looked out the window. They were back at Karasuno and already, the sun was setting. He stretched out in his seat and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Daichi rubbing his shoulder. Sugawara let himself feel slightly guilty about it.

Daichi was such a good sport about it though. He noticed Sugawara’s staring and smiled. “Don’t worry, it was worth it to see you rest.”

Sugawara’s heart skipped a beat at that. Daichi was such a good friend. A traitorous thought whispered, ‘Are you sure he’s just a friend? He could be an excellent alpha, you know.’

Huffing in embarrassment, Sugawara followed him off the bus. As the team’s alphas helped unload the bags, Sugawara turned on his phone. He had a few new messages, all from unknown numbers. He clicked on one new conversation.

_Hey, this is Mori._

_I got your number from Kenma, who got it from Hinata._

_Hope you don’t mind!_

Smiling, Sugawara typed out his response.

_Ah, sorry. I was sleeping on the bus._

_I don’t mind!_

_I’m so glad – I forgot to get your number before leaving._

He then switched over to the texts from another unknown number.

_Sugawara-san, I got your number from Tsukishima._

_I hope Shimizu-san is alright, allergic reactions are no fun._

_This is Akaashi._

Sugawara hummed thoughtfully before asking.

_Kiyoko is alright now._

_Apologies, I just woke up._

_You have a food allergy of your own?_

An answer came immediately.

_Yes, I’m allergic to shrimp._

_There were too many close calls in the past._

_Yaku-san says to check his messages, btw._

Sugawara raised his eyebrows, going to check on his conversation with Yaku. It was a selfie of both Akaashi and Yaku, with Akaashi’s arm around Yaku’s waist to offset their height difference. It looked like Yaku was the one holding the camera. The both of them were smiling with Oreos held between their teeth. Sugawara admired how pretty the two omegas were in that selfie. They were presumably in a mall together in Tokyo and they were each holding up a box of-

Sugawara squinted at the screen before blushing. They were each holding a box of scent patches up to the camera. Not just the typical unscented patches. It was the mint scent patches from the exact brand Sugawara was particular to.

Tsukishima sidled up to him, looking at the sunset. “Akaashi-san asked me for the brand name for the patches, you know. And I told him.”

New messages appeared.

_It took some searching._

_But the Oreos fueled us._

_Your favorite brand isn’t too common._

_But we found it! And it’s worth it!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Home stretch! I realized that this entire chapter practically doubled my word count for the entire fic!
> 
> I'm going to take the time to edit each previous chapter now because I don't like the pacing for some of them. If you happen to reread the previous chapters again, just know that it will change in terms of attention to detail. Hope you look forward to it.
> 
> But after that, we have Suga's chapter! Yay!


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